The faux status symbols of success

photo credit: www.commoncoremoney.com

For most people, success involves fulfilling their material pursuits. While being able to lead a decent life is important, do you really need the following to be perceived by equally shallow people as successful?

1. Morning Starbucks coffee — Are you really going to stand in line all morning to prove you can afford a coffee with addictive-sugar?
2. Branded Cars — I get it if cars are a necessity to get around in your city. But otherwise, do you really want to elongate your carbon footprint just to show off what you can afford and contribute further to global warming?
3. Vineyard estate — You have to question your arrogance when an apartment living among community and neighbors does not suffice. Is it a necessity for you to have only wealthy friends and to show off to them?
4. Credit Card — Are you really going to pay credit membership fees for something you would be charged an interest for delayed payment? Embrace minimalism and heighten your savings.
5. Club membership — Are you really fooled by everyone claiming to be from high society? Many of them are bad-debt rich.
6. Cash — Ditto above as most people who look fancy and live fancy could be living off debt.
7. Diamond engagement and wedding rings — Let us face it. Diamonds are not for everybody. Some of us prefer the colorful stones such as citrine, sapphire, ruby, tanzanite, blue topaz, amethyst etc.
8. Weddings — Is this really worth it? Not many guests arrive to a wedding being their genuine selves. Are you really going to spend all that money to show them what you can afford and risk being called a show-off?
9. Marriage and kids — Don’t even get me started on this farce and ponzi scheme. Your kids are not obligated to be with you after their teens is the reality. And marriage is a legally bind contract that involves monetary transactions to make it and break it. All for what? The human promise of a lifelong commitment? This is a good time to mention human error and Murphy’s law.
10. Expensive caskets — Are you that much of a narcissist to show off in death too? Face it. People will forget you eventually.

Live simply, minimally. Want to leave an impact? Use your human intelligence that nature has bestowed upon you to leave a legacy that everyone will remember you by i.e. Discover, invent, create…