Brain Dump | Morning Musings

Don't let the "lifestyle" trap you...

One of the things I've discussed with a friend of mine lately was about how one's lifestyle can be the door to their ruins. The lifestyle trap is real and without a solid principles, it's easy to fall back into it.

Welcome to my brain dump, it's morning and when I can sit down, sipping a cup of coffee while contemplating life and emptying it out a little.

I am not sure about where you are but where I am from, the social setting pretty much lies in comparison. They compare not only wealth but also your physical appearance. It's quite a toxic society to live in but because people normalized it, that phenomenon is something fairly normalized.

In order to fit in, we are sold the lies of conformity. We have to buy this or that just so we could be seen as normal. That is when, though we are not as fortunate as the "old money" are, we tried all means to keep up.

Where I am from, gambling and online lending are a thing. It is a massive industry where people want to change their lives overnight. They wanted the comfort that is often portrayed online, from the things they've seen where people always showcase their highlight reels.

The thing is, our life and situation is accumulation of the things we do. I acknowledge that luck can be a factor but really, are we only going to chase luck rather than hard work?

Lifestyle trap can be a challenge as well when you have a certain job. For instance, you can still be poor as a corporate worker or you can be insanely rich and comfortable even with just a $300 salary/month. It sounds crazy but lifestyle and keeping up to what our corporate colleague has, certainly can cost a lot.

One thing I learned from high nett individuals is that a lot of them are not flashy. They are not the typical "crazy rich" portrayed online. Most of them are humble and invested pretty much their money and time to their "creation", whatever that is. They don't spend exorbitant amount of money on the so-called lifestyle that includes jetsetting around. One thing I notice is that even that is a luxury for them that can be done at least once or twice a year.

I noticed that once certain someone gets a lot of money, it's easy to spend it on things that don't elevate their life. Sure, experience is a great thing to have but from what I learned, they are mere stories that it's OK to have in moderation but not all the times. We can indulge in life's pleasure but the thing, who are we really trying to impress? are we just self-soothe our problems and not intending to fix it?

I suppose, I was also trapped into the lifestyle of digital nomadism that people around that age bracket are mostly someone very established. It's hard to be a nomad when you're starting out because it is one of the most expensive lifestyle that could turn you into a digital hobo very quick. Today, I could only reflected on that. Now I also think more about the assets I haven't managed to accumulate. In retrospect, I was self-soothing myself from the problems I didn't want to fix.

Last year, my life changed drastically where I learned that things could go wrong in our life. Without savings, we can be pretty much doomed. These days, I am finally debt free and could have more disposable money to spend. However, I reminded myself that I won't go back to my past-self where if things go wrong, I only had a few savings to cover it all. I don't want another year of rock bottom, I am manifesting and working to a year of comfort and prosperity. Even if that means, I could have less experience in life.