Don't Go Broke Looking Rich

photo courtesy of fashionlady

RECENTLY, I read an interesting quote on the Facebook wall of someone I call ‘Nwanne’, meaning brother, and he is indeed, Obinnaya Uruakpa. The saying reads, ‘Don’t buy that $300 bag to have nothing in it. Buy that $10 bag to have $290 in it. Don’t go broke trying to look rich’. Waoh!!! This is both simple and profound. Are you broke but trying to look rich? I’m almost certain you know someone who is literally speaking, in the business of ‘impressing’. Once my friend flew to London….

On arrival at Heathrow, he left his seat at the back side of economy and took a selfie on business class, all stretched out. He posted it on Facebook with the caption, ‘life is good’. When I asked him why he did that, he retorted, ‘did I travel to London or not, it doesn’t matter what class of seat I took my pictures’. I left him alone but still wondered why he didn’t snap his pictures at his economy seat if he meant well, as he claimed.

Another near-celebrity friend of mine will not be found dead in a regular taxi. It must be chartered, non-painted and preferably fully ‘Aced’. He must sit at the owner’s corner even if you contributed or fully paid the taxi fare. The low side is even when there is no money he would borrow to take his special taxi than enter regular taxis. One day we calculated and he realized that he had actually spent more than is needed for a deposit for a decent car, but no he must impress.

And to perfect this ‘do to impress’ culture, some have given it a religious undertone. I’m sure you have heard about, ‘fake it until you make it’. Really? Technically speaking there is nothing wrong with faking it until you make it. But when this ‘faking it’ is costing you more than normal, or becomes insane, you might just have to ‘make it and fake not’.  

photo courtesy of popsugar

Growing up, I remember been invited to a party. I didn’t have shoes, in the truest sense, but really wanted to go. At end of the day, I took my neighbours shoes left in front of our face-me-I-face-you compound, without his knowledge or consent. Oh no!! At the party I wasn’t free, couldn’t groove nor interact for fear of ruining the shoes. The party was a complete waste of time. But did I have to go to the party? To impress who? To what end?

Cutting your coat according to your size or cloth depending on which culture you belong is still a sensible policy. You don’t have to be like the Joneses. You don’t have to impress. Chances are most of the people you try to impress don’t notice or care. They are more preoccupied with their issues than take notice of you.

Learn to be true to yourself. Do a self-analysis, a self-check and situate yourself where you rightly belong. Life is too short living to impress others.

Do not put yourself in situations or associations that put pressure on you to perform.

Learn to say ‘NO’, and stand by it. Saying YES is not always right. Say NO to pressures you can’t handle, remembering that life is to be lived not acted.

Cultivate relationships that encourage the development of the true you, associate with people that prefer the real you, people who share your tears not just the smiles.

Don’t go broke trying to look rich.

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Whether you succeed or not, is really in your hands. Remember that when you set the sails, God sends the wind.

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