People Who Throw Money Away To Show That They Have It
by Lazz Laszlo
Monday through Friday, Joe is a disciplined worker. He’s on the job bright and early, hits it hard all day, and never in a hurry to dart out the door at quitting time.
Joe is young, energetic; college educated, and enjoys his job and has, for the past 9 years. His health and stamina are excellent
Family life was good growing up, but Joe lives alone now, in a swank apartment in the right part of town and commutes back and forth to work in the latest piece of European speed-machine technology.
Always dressed in the latest Label offerings, Joe has a piece of gold wrapped around his wrist that gives him the time with a glance and catches the eyes of the ladies.
Breakfast is always at a trendy hot spot, lunch is sometimes business related, but always top-notch, and dinner is a nightly affair at the city’s best restaurants.
Joe has a great life and he spends his money so that everyone can see that he is doing well, but he’s not. Joe is flat broke, in fact, he’s past broke. Deep in debt and commitment, Joe is treading water in a lake full of alligators.
Why do people throw their money around? The answer is complicated.
The outcome is embarrassing when money is thrown around to give the illusion of having money. The higher you live, the more it costs to maintain the lifestyle and hold up the façade.
It’s even more embarrassing to give up the kind of life that you’re use to. If you buy your underwear at a specialty men’s boutique, going to the local discount department store just doesn’t feel right. More importantly, to you, you don’t want anyone to know that you wear underwear from a department store.
Five dollar coffee is more fun to buy than a fifty-cent cup. Face it, its fun to spend money. It’s a special feeling. It’s a feeling that Joe has become addicted to and like a junkie, he’s hooked with no intention of stopping.
Every day thousands and thousands of people are spending money to feel good about themselves. Some are quick to buy the latest and greatest item to hit the shelves or the showrooms, because they work hard and they tell themselves that they deserve it.
Wealth is built slowly, but it’s very hard and takes discipline not to give-in to the bombardment of advertisements telling you why you should buy, rent, lease, consume, share, indulge, pack a bag, or experience what they have to offer. You work hard and you owe it to yourself.
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