The other day I text my friend and said, “Totally tempted to buy my Chloe bag today, but that would be fiscally irresponsible of me… lol why can’t I be like our generation & just do what the Joneses are doing”. I wanted to live like how my peers “appear to be living” on social media. I was real quick to throw $900 at a bag versus putting it towards a student loan.
My circle has gotten tighter as I’ve gotten older. We recently discussed how social media can leave you lonely, when trying to keep up with the Joneses and all that they do. I have 7 friends in my close circle. Four of those friends are married, one is engaged, and two are single. All of them are living their lives to the fullest. One thing they have in common is that, they do what makes them happy, instead of doing what the masses deem cool. One friend has been traveling every chance she gets. Another owns an amazing business that is creating millions of dollars in revenue. We all love beautiful things, but at the same time, we know what matters most…our well-being later on in life. Let me state this again, there is NOTHING wrong with beautiful things like bags, shoes, cars, jewelry etc.,. I have a nice collection of shoes, clothes, and bags. However, I have realized being debt free, owning my own business, buying my niece her hearts desires, and traveling mean more to me.
There are too many people drowning in debt because they would rather have what the Joneses have. There was a point in time that I was one of those people, until I opened my eyes to what was truly meaningful. What’s so great about owning a Chanel 2.55 but your bank account is in the negatives? Just like my debt Aha! moment of “there is nothing cute about being in debt”, there is nothing cute about living off credit cards, envying others lives, and being depressed.
This is the part most people don’t talk about. So many people are walking around riddled with anxiety, depression, and other ailments from trying to live like or from having a business like someone else. One of my favorite bloggers, Lily formerly Bleed For Fashion, has written about debt and her depression. Her honesty in the fashion blog world is refreshing. I don’t want you sitting on your couch on a Friday night, crying yourself to sleep because you have six figures of consumer and student loan debt. That anxiety and depression can make you do things you will regret later on in life. People are willing to do almost anything when they feel their backs are against a wall.
People have no problem concealing the truth about their feelings, “yeah girl everything is okay, I’m doing fine”. While on the contrary, they feel like their dying inside. Their lost, lonely, and worried about life getting better because they can’t deal.
Today, define what success is. Sometimes, you need to delay instant gratification in order to get your life back in order. Keeping up with the Joneses is stressful. Why are we a world that wants to be liked by people we will never met?
