We’ve all seen it on Instagram, someone posing on a private jet (which turns out they rented one), dripping head to toe in designer labels. Next to them? Typically, it’s a Birkin bag, caviar, and a wine. For aesthetic decor, obviously. The ultimate “Rich Life Starter Pack”. And sadly, we’ve been taught to believe this is what wealth looks like. But here’s the plot twist: real wealth might look a lot less flashy, and doesn’t always photograph well. Sometimes, it’s your neighbor driving the same Toyota from 10 years ago, but actually, never stressed out about bills. Or your best friend who doesn’t wear designer items but has the freedom to take a month off just to travel, eat, and healing.
The thing is, wealth isn’t about flexing, it’s about choosing. Choosing when to work, when to rest. Choosing to say no to a draining job, or yes to more time with family. Choosing to take a break and travel without panicking about credit card bills (spoiler alert: the wealthy mostly don’t use their credit cards). Choosing to invest in things that matter for the long run, instead of buying something just to prove to others that we can. It’s not about the flashy car; it’s about picking up our kids from school at 3 PM without begging your boss. Think about it this way: the poor see money as something to spend, the middle class often see it as something to save, but the truly wealthy? They see it as something that buys back time. Real wealth gives us those options, quietly. It doesn’t need to announce itself with logos and hashtags. That’s the difference: one group buys things, the other buys options.
Ramit Sethi, in I Will Teach You to Be Rich, says it best: “Spend extravagantly on the things you love, and cut costs mercilessly on the things you don’t.” That’s real freedom. Compared to someone who rents a jet for an Instagram photoshoot, it’s obviously not the same. One buys likes. The other buys life. But I got the point, sometimes we often confuse wealth with status, because, let’s be honest, status feels sooo good. That little dopamine hit when people double-tap our “luxury” post or when someone notices our new bag. It tricks our brain into thinking we’re moving up in life. Psychologists call this signaling, showing the world who we are (or who we want them to think we are). Signaling isn’t always bad; we all do it, but when it becomes the main reason we spend, that’s when it traps us. The problem is, chasing status keeps us trapped. The more we spend to look rich, the less freedom we actually have. It’s like living in an endless episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians—except we’re not a Kardashian, and our bank card bill doesn’t come with sponsorship deals. It comes with an invisible chain: monthly payments, financial stress, and the pressure to keep up appearances.
So, how do we shift from chasing status to building freedom? Relax, it doesn’t have to be complicated. We can start small (let’s do these, together!):
- Buy less “proof,” buy more peace. Before we hit “checkout” on that trendy item, ask ourselves: will this make my life easier, calmer, freer, or just louder on Instagram?
- Think in terms of trade-offs. Every dinner out, every new gadget, isn’t just money spent, it’s time we’re giving up. Because money is just stored energy. When we spend it, we’re really spending hours of our lives. Worth it or not? That’s the real question.
- Set a “freedom goal.” Forget vague resolutions like “I want to be rich.” Instead, define what freedom looks like for us. Maybe it’s a 1-year emergency fund. Maybe it’s the ability to take our kids on one big trip every year without debt. Maybe it’s just knowing we can walk away from a job that drains our soul.
When you reframe wealth as freedom, suddenly the whole game changes. We’re no longer asking, “How do I look rich?” but “How can I live free?” And trust me, that shift is way sexier than any starter-pack luxury post. Agree?
At the end of the day, wealth isn’t about looking rich. It’s about staying unbothered. Bills paid. Sleep deep. Options open. This is a “Rich Life”, where money becomes a tool to design a life we actually want, not a costume to impress strangers. That’s real flex. Forget the Birkin starter pack; he ultimate status symbol is FREEDOM. Period.
Love
Kirana
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