Who the Heck are the Joneses?

It is not often in my community that we feel like we have to compete on a financial level. Some of us are dotcom millionaires, some are fledging entrepreneurs bootlegging their way to success, and others are trying to make ends meet as artists, and yet we can get along so well. There is something about San Francisco and Marin that brings out the best in people. As a ‘tribe’ we tend to be more tolerant of each other eccentricities and allow each other the freedom to live their lives as they wish.

So it surprises me, after living here for 15 years and surrounding myself with these spiritually grounded people, how different parts of the country can be. I have heard from many the strong pressure to keep up with the Joneses. For those, It seems more important to strive to have the right clothes, car and house, than to focus on something more spiritually rewarding.

I found it takes a lot of energy to be mired in the superficial. I can’t seem to keep up on the latest fashions no matter how hard I try. I just donated by 20 year old car to charity, www.cars4kids.org, and am not replacing it with a new fancy one. I don’t want a car payment because that would just weigh me down. In fact, keeping up with the Joneses is quite taxing, not just on the mind, but also the wallet.

What I find exhilarating is not having my house appear in Architectual Digest (fat chance on that one), but to live a simpler life and use all that freed up energy to put into helping others or nurturing my soul, either through mentoring, donating or creating.

Save yourself from Af-flu-en-za : the epidemic of stress, overwork, and debt caused by pursuing the American Dream and tune into my article on Simple Living because less is more.