When my daughter was in high school, my route each morning included a long stretch on Hollywood Boulevard. When you have to spend ANY time on Hollywood Boulevard the week before the Academy Awards – as they set up the red carpet, the celebrity staging areas, and the bleachers for thousands of fans – let’s just say you really start wishing you had a helicopter.
It’s true that Hollywood isn’t known for doing much of anything in an understated way. Most years it is estimated that the Academy will spend in excess of $44 million on the awards show and related activities. It’s a night of lights, glamour and literal glitter – with over 45 million Swarovski crystals used to create the sparkling stage.
Let’s face it: the extravagance of the Oscars goes against virtually every financial principle – with a staggering amount of money spent on things that are discarded at the end of the evening – never to be used again.
Don’t get me wrong. It’s truly inspiring to honor the great work of our fellow artists and craftsmen. As someone who tries to learn from watching the technique of other actors, I find many of the performances nominated to be absolutely breathtaking.
But as my mind wandered while sitting in traffic, I would find myself thinking about how much we celebrate excellence – while also celebrating excess. And it’s this celebration of excess that can sometimes lead to a bit of an “Oscar hangover” – when you wake up the morning after watching the awards show feeling just a bit more dissatisfied with your own life… not just your accomplishments, but also your acquisitions.
It’s not hard for this kind of dissatisfaction to translate into spending – from emotion rather than from a place of conscious choice. There’s an increased pressure we feel to acquire more, when we see extravagance on such full display. We spend on apartments/houses, cars, clothing/jewelry, travel and “beauty” regimes – that rather than supporting our dreams and who we really want to be in the world – provides us with an outward appearance of “success,” while keeping us in a dangerous cycle of instability and financial stress.
The key, albeit challenging, is to keep our perspective instead of losing ourselves in the hype. Let’s support each other in not using our “stuff” as validation. Maintaining the discipline of a financial plan and money management systems you employ on a daily basis, allows you to move through your life with confidence and power.
Have fun finding financially responsible ways to “live large” when called for by the moment:
Need the perfect outfit for a special occasion? Rent the Runway… or proudly rock a dress created by that yet unknown designer, rather than spending hundreds or even thousands on a look you may only actually wear once or twice.
Want to show up at an event in style? Use the single ride luxury service UberBlack, instead of saddling yourself with a permanently high lease payment or car loan.
Most importantly, remember that by doing the work on your strength as a financial being, you can ultimately transform your life in the process.
Thank you for showing up for yourself and for your dreams. YOU and the creativity that you are committed to sharing is what is truly valuable and more than enough.
That is what this Abundance Bound community honors and celebrates – not just once a year – but every single day.
