Opening your Facebook, you will be seeing a lot traveling and food photos being shared by your friends and strangers. The first question pops up in your mind would be “Why these people around me seem to be living well and they seem to be rich?“. That’s why the more time you spend on Facebook, the more likely you are to feel depressed.
We all human are the same, we have innate tendencies to keep track of our progress in life and compare our self-worth to random people on social media – how pathetic. This routine has become a social sickness where people brag and show off their “richness” to make people feel like losers. In fact, they are showing off because they are insecure and just being self-congratulatory.
Consequently, we pretend to be “rich” to other strangers in reality too. That is why the luxury brands are making lucrative profits because we are all living Egotism. We often judge people based on what they own materially, but the real source of richness is the human spirit, happiness, experience, and memory.
Life is not about how well you live, but how you live it well
Have you noticed that some people live very well with little money and they seem to be rich? There are some people who are rich, but they seem to struggle in life and live in emptiness. Money is important, but it should not be used to scale someone’s wealth and happiness. It is essential to know how to live life frugally below your means, and not to impress people around you.
Life is about how you live it well. It seems the happiest people in the world distance themselves from unnecessary spending. It is crucial for us to realize the importance of investing in our life experiences than overspending your money on the next electronic gadget, phone, designers’ bag or car. The truth is, these will not make you happier.
Just imagine this: will you be reminiscing or telling your kids about the fact that you used to own BWM 5 series while everyone else was still using the Toyota Vios, or are you going to proudly share your traveling or volunteering experience with the people who care about your real-life stories?
Experience Defines Us
We assume buying things for ourselves can make us happy. I do agree it will, but only for awhile. New things are exciting to us at first, but we adapt to new things over time. Luxury brands define you physically for a few months. Experience defines you forever.
Every single experience brings with it a mistake or triumph, a good laugh or a lesson learned. It is very often a process of realizing who we really are. Experience allows us to learn more about ourselves, what makes us happy, to clarify how we think and most importantly it makes us a better person in life.
Experience has emotional longevity and it shapes us. It stays with us over time as we grow and it is a lesson that we can use as we progress in life.
Lose yourself free and explore the world around you
If you are not going to take risks, you will never discover your true self. Leaving your comfort zone is the only opportunity to assess how well you can adapt to the outside world with no one can speak your native language and live in a foreign culture.
While reading through this article, ask yourself a question and think about it properly “Where has the time gone for the last ten year?“. Most of us live in a regular routine and it has turned us to automate activities almost seamlessly. An ever changing horizon will eventually bring you new experiences and allows you to live in the present.
Another reason to get out from your comfort zone and explore new things around you is to connect us to other people emotionally. You will feel more connected to someone who went for a volunteering job in Benin than someone who have also bought an Iphone 6s.
Learn To Be Rich Without Being Wealthy
Being rich does not mean you need to make a lot of money by “becoming a responsible adult”. There are so many people live in regrets as they did not make their choices when opportunities come. They are rather convinced to buy things they don’t need, spend money they don’t have and wasted their time building someone else’s dreams.
Why spending $300 on a new phone that makes you look rich when you can buy an experience by travelling to a country or a place you have never been before?
I am not injecting an idea not to be responsible to your life, but to encourage you to be rich from inside. People who live with plans and goals tend to live happier than those who show off on Facebook and swamped in luxury products.
It is time to stop swiping your phone and make you feel miserable about your life. Starting planning and make your life more meaningful. You don’t need others to judge you, you own your life and not others.
Author: Alex Y || Managing Finance Blog
