The Joneses

Everyone knows who the Joneses are, right? They are the family that has a bigger, prettier house than you; their car is faster and more expensive than yours; they own bigger TV’s; and they are the family that vacations in sunny destinations just because they can. Why do we as a society see the Joneses as a benchmark for success?

I can always remember my grandfather telling me about life after the war, the financial struggles they went through, and how each day he prayed there was enough food for everyone. He and my grandmother scraped together what they could so that at the end of the year they could buy an orange and a doll for each of their five daughters for Christmas. In a mere 60 years, we have transitioned from that to today’s greediness and over indulgence.

I will be the first to admit that for the past 10 years I have been running on the “Joneses Treadmill for success”, hoping to catch up. It was important for me to have all of the fanciest gadgets, flat screens in each room in my house, and my kids dressed to the nines. In an effort to have more, I became stressed out. I am not saying that having a nice house and fancy car is wrong, but having those things to confirm your status is. I was competing against a benchmark that at the end of the day provided me with a very low rate of return.

Social status once depended on one’s family name, but now people are more inclined to buy their way into it and define themselves by their possessions. Meanwhile, books like “The Millionaire Next Door” by Thomas Stanley and William Danko have documented the fact that many wealthy people got that way by living below their means. They are the ones still driving the car they bought 10 years ago and are still living in the first house they ever purchased.

Working hard to have a nice life for yourself and your family is something we all aspire for, but it is time to shake the Joneses’ benchmark once and for all and create a meaningful and purposeful benchmark for success that is built on integrity, not possessions – but that’s just my 4 cents!

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Comments (1)

• 2010-08-04 07:41:16 |142.166.127.xxx| Wendy  - Services Manager

  I truly enjoy your articles and I see your dad
  had a big part in how you see life in general. He is a true gentleman and to be able to be called a gentleman and manage the many businesses he has is definitely something few
  can do.

  
  I too had a grandmother that taught me 4 things that I will never forget.

  1.There is no shame in being poor but there is in being dirty.
  2.Sometimes it's harder for a rich man to go to heaven than it is for a camel to go through
  the eye of a needle.
  3.Treat everyone the way you want to be treated.
  4.Pray daily.
  and these four things have helped me through life by being generous, understanding,and knowing I cannot get through this world alone.

  
  I

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