THE EGO AND CONSUMERISM: It is the ego within you that cares what brand your clothes are or what type of car you drive; the real YOU is much more enlightened than that. It is fun to have something flashy every once in a while. But unless you have the pocketbook to make this your lifestyle excessive brand consumerism creates poverty. In the book ‘The Millionaire Next Door’ by Thomas j Stanley, the author points out that the vast majority of wealthy individuals would rather buy a run of the mill car that is reliable enough to take them from point A to point B than purchase an expensive model. He named his book the Millionaire next door because he noticed that wealth of the folk under consideration for his book, was never on display. In other words it was never outwardly apparent that these folks were wealthy! On the other hand it is the big name celebrities that on occasion have a tendency to splurge their wealth on fancy brand names. Most often however, these items are donated to them in order that they become willing, walking advertisements for the masses to copy. The other set of wealthy individuals not in the limelight we call “the invisible wealthy”. They are busy building their wealth through select investments such as gold and silver bullion coins, cash savings and businesses. Thomas Stanleys’ research indicates that the desire to purchase brand named goods by the invisible wealthy are low on their list of priorities. After all it does not build wealth! The moment you put on that Armani suit, it has already lost more than half its value should you decided to sell it. Why not create your own individual style with unique material found in market places. You might even develop your own cottage industry from the style you create from scratch making yourself good money in the process.
It is not easy to withdraw oneself from a consumerist society especially if you live on a low budget. These big ticket items seem enticing. However, the pleasure derived from having them is often very short lived. Additionally the cash value of these items depreciates rapidly. These purchases become the equivalent of a sugar rush. In other words the more you engage in these types of purchases, the more you want! No, if you want to emulate the successful wealthy look to the hidden few who tend to have strategic long term goals with economic freedom and money in the bank being the ultimate goal. Forget about that high ticket item you know you should not indulge in. Do not be at the mercy of your own ego or the desire to follow the Jones’s. You do not have to measure up to somebody else, to have what they have. If you will develop your own sense of chic and panache in the way you put your clothes together. Or develop that inner confidence that knows you look good in simple clothing; more than likely people will admire and respect you for who you are. As an alternative to that expensive purchase, put most of that money aside for a rainy day and gift yourself a cinema ticket. This token gift to yourself is the first step in your move away from the excessive psychological enslavement called consumerism.