A doctor and entrepreneur has used the example of a BMW owner earning ₹40 lakh annually who still considers himself poor to argue that changing lifestyles and expectations are reshaping perceptions of wealth and poverty. Dr Sunny Garg, co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of Everhope Oncology, shared an Instagram video in which he said many financially successful individuals feel poor not because of a lack of money, but because they struggle to define what is "enough". Doctor recounts conversation with Gurgaon professional According to Dr Garg, he recently met a 34-year-old man living in a two-bedroom apartment in Gurgaon, driving a BMW and earning ₹40 lakh per year, who nevertheless described himself as poor. "He sat across from me and said, 'Doctor, I think I'm very poor. I can't sleep at night'," Garg said. The doctor noted that he did not dismiss the statement, arguing that the experience reflects a broader issue affecting many professionals. "I didn't laugh, because this isn't just one man's story. It's the story of today's Indian middle-class professional, and hardly anyone explains it," he said. Changing comparisons alter perceptions of wealth Dr Garg explained that, statistically, the man belongs to the top 1% of earners in India. However, he argued that perceptions of financial success often change as people's reference points shift. "Statistically, he's in the top 1% of earners in India. Yet he feels poor. Why? Because his reference point has shifted," he said. According to Garg, the man no longer compares himself with people from his earlier surroundings but with highly successful entrepreneurs and startup founders he sees online.'Modern poverty' driven by rising expectations The doctor said that lifestyle inflation and constantly changing benchmarks can affect how people evaluate their financial position. "This is modern poverty. Your income has increased, but your expectations have increased tenfold. And the gap keeps widening every year," he said. He argued that the issue often lies not in a person's earnings but in the growing distance between achievements and expectations.Beyond money and net worth Dr Garg said his conversation revealed that the man's concerns extended beyond finances. According to him, the individual was not poor in monetary terms but lacked meaning, connection and stillness in life. "When money becomes the measure of every activity, you stop being a human being and become a machine," he said. The doctor added that higher incomes alone cannot resolve questions of purpose or identity. He advised people to periodically reflect on their priorities, arguing that while financial challenges can often be addressed, identity-related struggles are far more difficult to solve. "Solving money problems is relatively easy. Solving identity problems is much harder. And 90% of people end up confusing the two," he said.