It feels like there is a lot of social pressure to "keep up" these days.

The reality is that it has always been like this. It's also a natural human desire to crave some level of status within our circles of friends, colleagues and within our community.

A metaphor that I heard a while ago has really stuck with me, and it’s this: “That guy is all hat and no cattle”

Which is a term that I originated in Texas. Meaning, that guy might have the fanciest cowboy hat (nice stuff) on the block, but he ain’t got no cattle (net worth).

Through the income we earn or by simply taking on more credit, it can be so easy to just buy a whole bunch of stuff to either look or feel a certain way. For many people is probably happening to a degree on a subconscious level.

What's not so easy is developing good habits and strengthening our behaviours around how we spend money and grow our wealth.

It's still important to enjoy your life and that means buying things and taking in experiences that bring you joy and add value to your life.

At the end of the day, it's all about finding the right balance.

The balance between living for today (ie. rocking that nice hat) and building wealth for the future (your cattle farm).