I cannot Keep up with the Joneses

I cannot!

For hundreds of years the Rockefellers, the Astors, and the Vanderbilts have been duplicating their wealth like the cytokinesis step in the Mitosis cell cycles, ranking them the richest Americans in History. Meanwhile, my bank account just went through the apoptosis stage, cell death.

I cannot afford to care about my standard of living in relation to my peers or even worse, to people I see on TV. Truth be told, the only reason why we want to keep up with people is to impress them, not wanting to feel inferior to them.Will Smith said it best, “Too many people spend money they haven’t earned, to buy things they don’t want, to impress people they don’t like.” I will say this, don’t even do it to impress people that you like.  It is daunting to see how far people are willing to go to look like they are “doing it” (living extravagantly, typically by making and spending a great deal of money).

Why keep up with the Joneses? There is no competing with them.

If your dream car is a Ford Focus, don’t go purchasing a Mercedes Benz because the Joneses just got one. One cannot fathom the amount of stress people take on when they are trying to keep up with the Joneses.

Acquiring all the wealth in the world and accumulating all the material goods does not satisfy. If they did, many who have it all wouldn’t commit suicide wouldn’t. The satisfaction that material things give is ephemeral.

It is ok to celebrate your birthday with a Barefoot Pink Moscato. You don’t have to go for the Moët & Chandon Dom Perignon Charles & Diana 1961. It is ok to have a $5,000 wedding to ensure that you can purchase your first home versus spending $85,000 then moving in a small apartment and barely surviving. Don’t spend what you don’t have to please others… who don’t even care. Let me rephrase that: Never, ever, ever spend what you don’t have to please others. It is beyond the bounds of possibility to please people.

Let’s stop keeping up with the Joneses and the Kadarshians. With that being said, I’m going to do something that is quite simple and I hope you will join me on this – Let us live within our means, doing what makes us happy. We have one life to live, let’s not waste it. Live a life YOU love.

Please, leave a comment. I would love to hear how this post has inspired and will impact you. Take a minute and share with someone who could use it. Help me inspire others.

Thank you for reading.
Ciao!