The Subconscious Killer
People want to drive a certain brand of car.
People want to live in a certain neighborhood.
People want their kids to attend a certain school.
People want to wear a certain logo.
People want to travel to a certain city.
People want their kids on a certain team.
People want to carry a certain model of phone.
People want to belong to certain clubs.
Do you know what all these things have in common? Status. People crave status. I believe people have always craved status, but due to the arms race of materialism and the proliferation of social media, the pursuit of status is thriving now more than ever.
Here's the official definition of status, according to the Oxford Dictionary: "The relative social, professional, or other standing of someone or something."
Here's the unofficial definition of status, according to me: The perception held about someone by an external person or group of people.
We humans care about what others think of us, and whether consciously or subconsciously, many of our decisions are heavily dictated by our desire to positively influence our standing in other people's eyes. Thus, the cars, neighborhoods, schools, logos, travel destinations, sports teams, gadgets, and clubs. Each of these says something about us, one way or another.
This may sound like a harmless topic lacking substantive consequences, but I can personally testify that the consequencesare increasingly destructive. In just the last few weeks, I've met with couples who make north of $300,000/year and are living paycheck-to-paycheck. There are a lot of factors contributing to this, but none bigger than the pursuit of status. Most of their decisions seem to be made, in part, with status in mind. Again, I don't even think it's a conscious thing for them. It's hard-wired into their psyche, and it manifests through each decision.
If this type of behavior goes unchecked, it will rot us from the inside out:
Divorce
Selfishness
Financial stress
Relational tension
Jealousy
Rampant debt
No retirement
Discontent
Did I mention divorce?
Take a hard look in the proverbial mirror this morning and ask yourself what financial decisions are being made in the pursuit of status. If you identify any (and I suspect you will), I strongly encourage you to consider purging them from your life. Your life is worth far more than what others think about you. Your freedom, relationships, peace, calling, and meaning are all far more important than anything status claims to provide.
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