Sometimes I see the same pattern. As soon as a little money comes in, the first purchases are a car, a watch, new clothes, luxuries, and—inevitably—a bit of extravagance. Because, naturally, what’s the first thing a person does when things start going well? Build a system? Invest in knowledge? Strengthen their business? Build a reserve?
No, man. First they have to buy proof that they’ve “made it,” so no one else has to figure it out. And then the show begins. Keys on display. Logo in plain sight. Talk of “status.” Pics from the car, as if the steering wheel were a PhD. And the worst part is that all of this is sold as success.
It’s not success when money changes your wardrobe but your mindset stays the same. It’s worth asking ourselves how much we spend to meet our own needs, and how much to prove to others that we’ve succeeded. A higher income doesn’t, in and of itself, change our attitude toward what others think. A new car may be a personal choice, but it can also be an expense we take on to maintain the image we’ve created of ourselves.
That’s why the question isn’t just how to make money. It’s also important what we do with the money once we finally have more of it.
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