If You Really Want Wealth, Get Comfy with Being Weird
Hey, you know all these things you have to do to become wealthy are… weird, right?
Choosing your side hustle over watching a new show is weird. Tracking your net worth to check your progress is weird. And so is a lot of the other stuff that goes with it, like searching for deals or teaching yourself about investing.
I’m not talking about some of the more interesting things frugal folks have done to save money, like utilizing trash castoffs or, y’know, actually learning financial basics. This is more in line with keeping your finger on the pulse of your growing investments.
Having any sort of finance consciousness is the epitome of eccentricity. We live in a world obsessed with convenience and ease of service; turning that around on its head does not make you the most popular kid on the block. You’re given the moniker of “weird” for your troubles to make the best life possible for yourself.
You know what’s actually weird? The disconnect between wealth and what it takes to get there. Everybody lusts after the penthouses, the designer closet, the cars, and the money. You’d think they’d prioritize the work, focus, and creativity to get there, right? Not so! You have to be weird to be wealthy; wealthy and weird go hand in hand, and here’s why.
Money Feelings Are Hard
The reason for this money disconnect is really sad, actually. Our society views money as the number one yardstick for how good, and successful, and worthy you are of respect. Having some failing about money is considered a moral failure, one so grievous that most can’t even speak of how bad it’s gotten.
And it has gotten very, very bad. Even before coronavirus wiped out entire industries, America’s biggest personal problem was scads of debt. If it’s not credit card debt, it’s student loan debt. If it’s not student loan debt, it’s house debt. The smallest charge on this list still amounts to billions of dollars Americans struggle to pay down, only to fail miserably and continue to worsen their situation.
It’s a vicious cycle: your Average Joe feels insecure about his money and earning potential so he ignores it. He buys toys and other things because he believes the advertising slogans that this purchase will make him feel better; this purchase will make him happier, or more productive, or at least seem that way. He votes for oily politicians who smirk and simper that they’re looking out for guys like him, don’t ya know! And Joe doesn’t have enough financial understanding to see how much these politicians aren’t helping him much at all. Lather, rinse, repeat. All because Joe’s been betrayed by authority figures and also himself.
The majority of folks only think about money in terms of having it taken away from them. While it’s possible to rewire your thinking, the money stressors overwhelm most into not even attempting to try. And that’s sad.
Consumerism Makes Finance Weird
Now, as much as American individualism would have me say the opposite, these failings aren’t entirely to blame on the population at large. Throughout the last century, investors and captains of industry obsessed over how to skyrocket their earnings. Hey, your net worth is exactly how we measure your worthiness as a person, right? Why not shoot for the moon and prove you’re ONE THE BEST PEOPLE TO HAVE EVER LIVED?! Nobody’s gonna care enough about your use of child labor or community destruction to stop buying your products. And if they try? You know how to reel ‘em right back in.
I’m not just talking out of my ass here with that last statement. I’m a marketer, and my work overlaps pretty frequently into advertising and market research. Every single part of your shopping experience is freakishly obsessed over, all to wring the very last penny from your pocket. The prices you’re looking at were crafted with the input of several psychological studies to ensure they’re getting as much money from you as possible. You’ll know your stores are like this if the prices end in .99 – studies show this seems more affordable than just rounding up a penny. There’s several guides like the one shown here that showcase several other tactics companies use.
These are the same folks that know the placement of a comma will influence your buying decision; if they’re going to get that granular, they’re also going to enthusiastically support financial illiteracy and escalating consumerism. No wonder the population believes money and becoming wealthy is weird – they’ve been indoctrinated to think that way.
Embrace the Weird to Become Wealthy
This is some scary stuff, and the biggest flaw in modern society. Humans have evolved to be social, to belong; consumerism makes it so your understanding of money will make you not belong. It will make you weird.
But being weird, in this case, is the only thing that will give you lasting safety.
Yes, it’s weird to not be an ultra-consumer. It’s weird to even be a conscious consumer. To not have to worry about money. To be diligent about money. But you know what? It’s okay to feel weird about this thing you’re doing. Feelings around money are so complex, and I’m just proud of you for going against the grain for your own betterment.
So continue getting comfy with being money-conscious. You’re weird for doing it, but being weird’s the only way to the life you want.
Are you still struggling with being “weird” about finance?
Your opening made me think of a phrase a martial arts teacher once said to me when decribing the mindset that keeps people from becoming good at martial arts. People, he said, want to know “How do I do what you do, without doing what you do?” Another successful video producer says he gets requests all the time on guidance on how to become a world-traveling video producer like him. He says, he tells them exactly what to do, which involves self-funding a trip – he even gives them assignments he’s had saved up, with offers of helping promote the content. Not once has anyone taken him up on it. They want somehow to do what he does, without doing what he does.
You’re right; we do need to get a little weird. Those of us who are actually willing to do what it takes come across as the weird ones because most won’t. It reminds me of something Ira Glass once said about art, that the great creators are the ones who suffered through the stage where everything you make sucks. Most people can’t get through it. Only the ones who put in the work and suffer through that stage go on to produce decent, then pretty good, then excellent work, and so on.
So it goes with financial independence and wealth. I’ve experienced this too – people ask me for financial advice but they rarely seem to actually follow it. I think my next post might be along the lines of this comment.
Great post!
That’s exactly it! Way too many people want the results but aren’t willing to go through with the effort, especially when the reward won’t be for years in the future. I’m convinced it’s why the fantasy of sudden wealth is so prevalent in TV shows and films – if the protagonist doesn’t suddenly become a millionaire overnight, there’s always some other character that’s “made it” with an inheritance, uncovering something insanely valuable, etc. Now I’m keeping an eye on your blog to check out that post, can’t wait!
LOL sometime you really do have to be willing to have your friends perceive you as weird to reach your goals. Not one of my real-life friends understands why I have a blog, they all think its bizarre. They can’t fathom that I could somehow create an income stream by blogging. To them the only way to make money is your job. I don’t even try to explain anymore…I just accept they think I’m crazy. haha
You really do! And you’re definitely more open about blogging and amassing wealth than I am; the most I try is to get more coworkers connected with their 401(k)s, and even that’s like pulling teeth. We’ll just have to keep chugging and have the last laugh when we’re outrageously wealthy 😉
OMG. Now I know why restaurant menus have this trend of not placing $ in front of the number indicating the price. I thought they were just trying to be trendy. At first, I used to wonder if that was the price, but figured out quickly that it was. It’s still strange to me to see this format, but it makes sense now. This secret reminds me I’m not crazy for not wanting to blow my hard earned $$$ on restaurant food all the time, even if it impacts my social life and makes me weird.
Yep, any place that displays pricing can take advantage of these hacks! It’s shocking how prevalent this stuff is without anyone being the wiser.
Hey, thanks for the article post. Fantastic.
Thanks man!