We see, we covet, we spend
The Great Singapore Sale is on and hordes of Singaporean residents and tourists and all scrambling for the best deals, the cheapest bargains and the best buys! So what is it with our consumeristic tendencies? What is built into our DNA that we want to buy, consume and spend?
I remember watching the film, "Seven" which was about how a pair of detectives played by Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt were chasing after a serial killer who stalked and killed his victims for their sins, each of them being the seven deadly sins as mentioned in christian teaching: Greed; gluttony; sloth; wrath; envy; lust and pride. During one of the scenes, the observation was made, "we covet what we see".
We covet what we see
How does this point relate to personal finance and spending. Our consumer culture is very focussed on our individual self-worth being validated through the acquisition of material goods and services. How do we become aware of such goods and services? We become aware through the relentless bombardment of images, sounds and words extolling the virtues of owning that Louis Vuitton bag, carrying that Montblanc pen in your shirt pocket and driving that BMW 5 series down Orchard Road. We see the advertisers' television advertisements, shop displays, goods and items in shopping malls and retail outlets.
All our senses are constantly flooded with messages subtle and overt to see, to lust, to envy and finally to tip our decision point in pulling out our wallet to buy and pay for that something we justify saying, "but...I NEED it!"
The great lie
We covet what we see and we use that great lie many times to confuse ourselves between wants and needs. I too fall prey in my moments of weakness, to keep up with the Lims, Tans and Kohs to make that impulse buy. Now that I have seen the fragility of this economic existence that we eke out for ourselves with our hard earned salaries, I realise that the power lies within myself to reject this great lie and keep asking myself, "Is this a want or a need"?
I am not advocating a totally ascetic lifestyle where you do not consume anything. We still need to meet our basic needs of food, shelter, safety etc. But we can make our economic decisions more pragmatically, to give in to that occasional indulgence --key word being "occasional", so that we live within our means and continue to save and invest for our financial futures.
Do you want to...
Do you want to live a life free from financial worry, anxiety and restlessness?
Do you want to maximise how hard your every dollar earned works for you?
Do you want to be able to say you are the master of your own financial destiny?
If you want any of this, you must first learn to manage your own humanity. Our shared weaknesses, that we see, we covet and we spend.
The power lies within you to redefine your relationship with money and with your own finances.
Be well and prosper!
I remember watching the film, "Seven" which was about how a pair of detectives played by Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt were chasing after a serial killer who stalked and killed his victims for their sins, each of them being the seven deadly sins as mentioned in christian teaching: Greed; gluttony; sloth; wrath; envy; lust and pride. During one of the scenes, the observation was made, "we covet what we see".
We covet what we see
How does this point relate to personal finance and spending. Our consumer culture is very focussed on our individual self-worth being validated through the acquisition of material goods and services. How do we become aware of such goods and services? We become aware through the relentless bombardment of images, sounds and words extolling the virtues of owning that Louis Vuitton bag, carrying that Montblanc pen in your shirt pocket and driving that BMW 5 series down Orchard Road. We see the advertisers' television advertisements, shop displays, goods and items in shopping malls and retail outlets.
All our senses are constantly flooded with messages subtle and overt to see, to lust, to envy and finally to tip our decision point in pulling out our wallet to buy and pay for that something we justify saying, "but...I NEED it!"
The great lie
We covet what we see and we use that great lie many times to confuse ourselves between wants and needs. I too fall prey in my moments of weakness, to keep up with the Lims, Tans and Kohs to make that impulse buy. Now that I have seen the fragility of this economic existence that we eke out for ourselves with our hard earned salaries, I realise that the power lies within myself to reject this great lie and keep asking myself, "Is this a want or a need"?
I am not advocating a totally ascetic lifestyle where you do not consume anything. We still need to meet our basic needs of food, shelter, safety etc. But we can make our economic decisions more pragmatically, to give in to that occasional indulgence --key word being "occasional", so that we live within our means and continue to save and invest for our financial futures.
Do you want to...
Do you want to live a life free from financial worry, anxiety and restlessness?
Do you want to maximise how hard your every dollar earned works for you?
Do you want to be able to say you are the master of your own financial destiny?
If you want any of this, you must first learn to manage your own humanity. Our shared weaknesses, that we see, we covet and we spend.
The power lies within you to redefine your relationship with money and with your own finances.
Be well and prosper!
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