Am I Materialistic? How Does It Affect My Life?

Being materialistic affects many facets of your life. This includes your career and financial situation. Most importantly, it affects how you interact with people in society and how they interact with you.

But before we proceed, what exactly is ‘materialism’? There are many definitions of materialism online. But the shortest and most concise definition of materialism I found online defines materialism as follows:

“A materialistic person is someone who seeks comfort and security in money and possessions and always chooses them over people. Their goal in life is to continually gain more money and possessions.”

Materialistic persons are usually portrayed in media as very rich but cruel people. But in reality, even a poor person can be materialistic. You might be poor but if all you think about is acquiring money to buy possessions then you are materialistic.

There are many salespeople who want to land the “big deals” which are usually high profile clients who pay a lot of money. Materialistic salespeople would concentrate all their efforts in landing these elusive and rare clients.

There are even salespeople who dress provocatively and do sexual innuendoes just to attract a high profile client. I have read a saleswoman confess online that she tries to seduce clients by wearing provocative clothes and by wearing no bra.

This is how desperate some salesperson can be in trying to land their “high profile million dollar clients.” I have also personally heard a confession from a saleswoman that she not only wears provocative clothing but also spreads her legs to signal her client that she was “willing”.

But contrary to this, a famous investor online stated that he goes after companies that like to do the “small deals” with the “not so big and unglamorous” clients. He states that these small companies are easier to sell to and when you combine them, your sales are much bigger.

This investor is from Dreamit Ventures who have been in the investing game for decades already. I’m sure they know what kind of mindset they are looking for not only from a company’s salesforce but from the managers of the company themselves.

Many materialistic people want to work for big and well-known companies and most often hate the idea of working for a small and unknown company. They think that they would gain prestige by working in a big and well-known company and they would be the envy of everyone.

And I can’t blame them. Media is partly to blame. Media has always portrayed that working for big companies is glamorous while working for a small one was less fulfilling but it allows you to live a much simpler life.

But society has changed today. Due to social media, a lot of people want to be seen and heard living glamorous and exciting lives. We see people posting the details of their mundane life like their jobs or even just their drive to work thinking that their mundane life is exciting to others.

But materialistic people like these might be missing out on financial and career opportunities by chasing only after big and popular companies. Smaller companies could offer faster paths to promotion by giving you knowledge in all facets of the company.

In big companies you are usually boxed in very narrow job tasks which doesn’t give you much ability to grow professionally. Working in a smaller company might be a bit tougher because you’ll likely do more than your job, but this way you learn more and become promotable more.

If there’s one thing I learned from being exposed to many kinds of jobs and companies is that there is no one way to fame and riches. You might just start out as a janitor but this doesn’t mean that you cannot be famous and rich in due time.

Many people especially the young often dream about being investment bankers, lawyers, influencers and so on because media and society in general dictate to them that these are the careers that offer the most glamour and salary.

They never explain that a diploma is not a passport to fame and fortune. They also never warn about the people especially in social media who like to teach about these courses that would supposedly make you a ton of money in just a short time.

Wannabe rich and famous people who buy in to these courses never realize that many of these courses exist just to make money from their creators and the creators themselves are not successful career wise in what they are teaching. So be wary.

There are only a few people in media that actually teaches that the plenty, usually boring and mundane jobs that people are not interested in are the ones that are actually profitable. In Australia alone, there are plenty of blue collar jobs that outearn white collar jobs.

There are materialistic people (both men and women) who just go after people who are handsome or beautiful. Of course, no one wants to marry someone whose not pleasing, but to materialistic people, looks are all that matters to them.

This is especially true with the advent of social media. People today especially the young are bombarded daily with images of the “perfect people” or the “perfect couples”. Media itself never lets a day pass without splashing some image or video of a beautiful celebrity.

But many materialistic person fail to realize that a partner is not just someone you have a good time with or someone you show in your Instagram account but someone who you will be with for the rest of your life ideally.

A partner is not just someone famous but is also a husband, wife, father, mother and so on. They are real people with their own distinct personality. I have personally met women who married men just for their money who were later dumped by these men after they aged.

And you as a man wouldn’t want the reverse either: That your beautiful wife would leave you just because you ran out of money or just couldn’t afford the luxuries in life she demands from you. A materialistic partner can bankrupt you in just a short time.

This is the most common way materialistic people have been portrayed. Materialistic people are often portrayed in media as people who buy expensive luxury clothes, shoes, bags, jewelry, cars, houses and so on at ludicrous prices.

Of course, materialistic people would defend themselves by saying that they’re buying quality and beauty, but how often is this true? But the more expensive possessions you own the more you have to buy more expensive possessions.

For example, you traded in your Toyota Land Cruiser for an expensive Rolls Royce SUV. Suddenly, you realize that you can’t eat at your local McDonald’s anymore because your SUV stands out.

So what do you do? You would probably start to eat at an expensive restaurant where all the other Rolls Royce SUV driving people also eat. Along the way, you meet more high heeled friends and they remind you that you’re not wearing clothes fit for a Rolls Royce owner.

So you buy expensive clothes. Your new friends tell you that you should be living in a much more beautifuler and more expensive house. See how your lifestyle becomes more expensive just for one purchase of an expensive item? This is how living the high life bankrupts you.

Not only is your lifestyle costing you a lot of money, it is also increasing your chances of being a crime victim. You think you’re safe by not going to bad neighborhoods while wearing your expensive clothes and jewelry, but criminals lurk everywhere.

Just so you know, not all criminals dress like hoods or dress shabbily. Many professional criminals dress in unassuming everyday clothes and some even wear expensive designer clothes just to put you offtrack.

You could be innocently walking in your local upscale mall when someone beautiful or handsome bumps you. They cordially apologize and leave you all for you to discover later on that your wallet or jewelry is missing. All too familiar? This happens more often than not.

And even ordinary people could be evil. Tesla electric cars are very popular because not only are they expensive but they have become a new status symbol for well-heeled people. Do you know that in America at least there are a lot of unattended Teslas being damaged by vandals?

A lot of vandals have been recorded vandalizing Teslas. They use sharp solid objects to scratch the paint jobs of the cars. If you are a Tesla owner, your costs could add up if you continue to have your damaged Tesla car repainted over and over again.

Materialistic people also feel a disproportionate need to show off and social media has exponentially increased this condition. To them for example, simple family vacations are not just an opportunity to relax but also an opportunity to show off.

They would spend a disproportionate amount of their time posting their vacation experience at the expense of their own happiness and their partner’s, family’s, and friends. Even a simple everyday walk in the park is an excuse to “flex”.

While many people are contented with wearing the same clothes year on year, materialistic people are not happy unless they wearing, driving, watching, reading … etc. the latest trend around.

Just imagine the problem that fast fashion has created. A lot of garbage dumps and landfills are filled to the brim of used but still wearable clothes. Fast fashion clothes have not only damaged our environment but has caused the ruin of clothing businesses in countries.

There are for example so many used fast fashion clothes dumped in Africa that the local clothes manufacturers are no longer able to compete with the used clothes markets in their country. Just think how much money you lose on a regular basis chasing after trends.

I have previously discussed about rich men marrying beautiful women for their looks alone while these beautiful women marry these men for their wealth alone. This is not uncommon in our society.

But materialistic people could act the same with friends and even family. There are materialistic people who only associate with their rich and/or famous family members and friends while neglecting the poor and unpopular ones.

A materialistic man or a woman can also just associate with rich and/or famous and/or beautiful/handsome friends and totally distance themselves from the common people. But these materialistic people might fail to see that relationships with ordinary people is also good.

Who’ll fix your house when it’s damaged? Who teaches your kid to become smart in school? Who takes care of your parents? These are mostly unknown people who are not rich or popular but are equally important in your life.

For example, you’ll easily realize the importance of a garbage collector once your garbage hasn’t been picked up in over a week. This is how important a garbage collector can be despite them not being rich or popular.

You negatively affect your life by being a materialistic person. Not only does being materialistic affect your finances but it could also ruin your career and your social life. A materialistic partner can actually ruin their partner’s life.

Not everyone needs to be rich and popular to be important. Unfortunately, the society we live in today primarily bases a person’s importance mostly on stature and wealth and not on what they actually contribute to humanity.

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