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Showing posts from October 9, 2020

The High Cost of Status and How To Address It

I once worked on a small advisory team with a colleague who commuted approximately 20 miles to work in a Hummer. This was back in 2007 and 2008, when gas prices were creeping into the $4.00 per gallon range here in Phoenix. He and I were both working in a call center; we weren't meeting with our clients in person. However, I regularly overheard my colleague on his client calls discuss both his car and his large property, located in a beautiful rural area just outside of Phoenix. More details emerged later:  The Hummer was leased and the house outside of town was rented. I eventually heard my co-worker mention to another colleague that he'd given up the house with the large property in favor of accommodations closer in - likely to compensate for the high cost of gas for his Hummer. Why do we do this to ourselves? Why are we willing to spend so much money on looking good to others? I'm not immune - for years, my husband and I lived in a very modest house while I dreamed of ow