Work it Out: Check yourself
A few easy ways to see if you’re acting rich
By Chellie Mejia, B.Sc.
You know that feeling when someone says something as a joke and a light bulb goes off in your head? I was out for breakfast with a friend the other day and that’s exactly what happened. My friend, very successful in her own right, had decided to purchase a Christmas gift for herself: a cherry red Birkin bag, bought directly from Hermès and sent to Paris to be reconditioned at an Hermès purse “spa”. Total cost? About $20,000. She joked as we ate about it being the first time she was nervous about her purse being stolen not because of the contents, but the purse itself.
Most of us have made a renewed commitment to achieve certain financial goals this year, but the first step to determining how to get to where you want to go is finding out where you are right now. We’re not all spreadsheet people who can sit down and crunch numbers to determine where we stand, but a quick glance in your purse or briefcase could hold the key to assessing your situation as you get started on your journey to wealth.
Assess your future freedom. Count the number of credit cards in your wallet. If you’ve got two MasterCards, three Visas and an AmEx, chances are you’re incurring debt. By spending tomorrow’s money today, you are slowly but surely giving up your future financial freedom. The step that most people have trouble with in today’s credit-based system is consistently spending less than what you earn.
How organized are you? Did you have to dig to the bottom of your purse to find that last MasterCard? Do you have loonies and quarters in your briefcase zipper pocket, bills in your change purse, scrunched up receipts in your car door, a debit card in your jeans back pocket and you’re not quite sure where those jeans are? This disorganization mirrors the state of your financial life and distracts you from focusing on your end goals.
Do the contents of your carrier reflect the money in your bank account? How many of us know that girl walking around with a genuine Louis Vuitton and a negative account balance? If the iPad, smart phone and Dunhill briefcase are worth more than the money you’ve invested into a savings account in the last month, you are not acting rich.
Ever hear the saying “fake it till you make it”? Successful people don’t often just wake up successful. Act rich now, and manifest your end goal into your life now. Take your wealth as seriously now as you would if you had millions to account for.
I tell everyone in my life not to be afraid to dream big, but when you’re formulating your master plan, don’t forget to take a real look at where you stand and what’s around you before you start taking steps forward.
Chellie Mejia is a freelance writer, real estate developer and lifestyle coach. Follow Chellie on Twitter @chelliemejia. Visit her new website www.chelliemejia.com.
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