Want to be a Financial Rockstar? Reject the Status Quo

It’s a marketer’s world, we only live in it.

Think about how true those words are.

Every single day we are processing an over abundance of advertisements and imagery. Our desires and interests are merely pawns in the game. Our insecurities are preyed upon.

It’s easy to understand why we have so many financial issues, when we think we can buy our way to happiness through new shoes and buy status in the form of cars or houses.

It’s easy to succumb to temptation, consumerism, and the like, because “everyone is doing it.”

But whose life is this anyway? Who signed me up for this?

I don’t know about you, but my version of happiness and the American Dream does not mean going into (more) debt to buy a house, have kids, or buy cars, that quite frankly I can’t afford.

Except the world we live in tells us that everything we want is at our fingertips. It’s so close you can almost taste it. Everything you want, you can have. For a price.

If there is one thing I’ve learned about personal finance, is that if you want to be a financial rockstar, you have to reject the status quo.

You have to reject the “shoulds”. You have to reject the scornful looks of judgement. You have to say “no” while everyone is saying “yes”. You have to play odd man out, in a sea of sheep.

Because let’s face it. Being in debt is normal. Having a car payment, or a mortgage is normal. Working until you are 65, or until you die, is normal.

For so long we grow up and never question any of it, until one day the blindfold is ripped off and we can see everything clearly.

Everything is not as it seems.

It can be a bit unsettling once you realize that in order to live the life you want, you have to go against the grain. But to stay the same is to be a prisoner of consumerism — soon, you too will be a commodity.

Companies want you to be in debt. They are only interested in you for your interest.

By choosing to pay off my student loans early, I am imposing an act of rebellion.

I am rejecting the status quo. I am breaking through the barriers and the beliefs that you have to make a lot of money to do this.

There are others paving the way and showing people that you don’t have to work until you die.

Showing people that maybe there is a better way.

But to find that way — to truly be a financial rockstar — you need to reject the status quo.

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Melanie

Melanie Lockert is the founder of the blog and author of the book, Dear Debt. Through her blog, she chronicled her journey out of $81,000 in student loan debt. She is also the co-founder of the Lola Retreat, which helps bold women face their fears, own their dreams and figure out a plan to be in control of their finances. She is passionate about empowering women, helping others get out of debt, and focuses on the intersection of debt and mental health. Every September she organizes a Suicide Prevention Awareness Blog Tour, to help share resources for those struggling with debt and suicide. In addition to her love of personal finance, art and music, she is also a karaoke master and a cat mom to Miles and Thelonious.

Latest posts by Melanie (see all)

• Talking About Money and Mental Health - September 12, 2022
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• Announcing The Mental Health and Wealth Summit - May 4, 2021