Many of us have gotten the message, however there are still a large number of people and families chasing after the “privileged” life of the Joneses. Having been a troll of the Joneses for many years, my family and I have finally learned the truth about the perceived happiness of the Joneses’ lifestyle, and friends, it’s all based on a web of lies. We’d like to share with you today what we’ve learned about the lifestyle of the Joneses, and why we believe you’ll never be happy keeping up with the Joneses’
KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES – WHY IT ALWAYS DISAPPOINTS
Keeping up with the Joneses is a Life Based on Selfishness
You see, the thing about selfishness is although it promises satisfaction, what it really leads to is emptiness. Nearly every study shown on selfishness proves that humans are much happier when they are lovingly and selflessly serving others. The Joneses live their lives always searching to satisfy “me, me and more me”, however, it leaves them only feeling more and more empty, looking for the next spend that will, they hope, bring them their next “high”. But the high always goes away, and the void always returns.
Looking for a permanent fill to that void? Find a charity that you can serve that grabs your heart and see how wonderful (and fulfilling) serving others really is. Stop chasing the empty promise that “stuff” will give you what you need.
Keeping up with the Joneses is a Life Based on a Desire to Seek Approval from Others
Often times when we’re looking to match the Joneses lifestyle, it’s because we desire the approval of others. The irony in this, though, is that most people will never give us that approval for more than a brief time period. Why? Because they, too, are often looking to be accepted by the biggest and the best, and there will always be someone cooler/richer/”better” than you, at which point the approval you thought you had from those you thought you admired will be long gone, leaving you again searching for other ways to gain acceptance and approval from your peers or those whom you want to be associated with. Don’t let yourself fall prey to the lie that if you have enough stuff, that others will accept you or approve of you. Instead, learn to love yourself and accept yourself just as you are, even as you work on your “faults”, and others will do the same. And if they don’t, who cares?
No “thing” you can buy will ever make you feel truly happy, and no person or group of people will ever make you feel truly accepted. Any time you’re looking outside of yourself for approval or happiness, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. True peace and contentment comes only from within your spirit and from following your heart, not from the outside, short-term gratification of other people or things.
Keeping up with the Joneses is a Life Full of Deception
Things do not have the ability to satisfy, at least not long-term, and popularity is fleeting. But like a drug, the Joneses lifestyle works to convince you that if you simply have all of the money/possessions/freedoms/approval you want, you’ll be happy. That happiness, however is always short-lived. This is why you see people with nothing being happy and people with more than they know what to do with being miserable. Pride and low self-esteem, which are at the root of our need to keep up with the Joneses, are one in the same. They’re both based on an over-attention to self, an inward focus, based on a need to feel loved and accepted. And the Joneses have cornered the market on convincing folks that the lifestyles of the rich and famous will usher in that love, acceptance and happiness. The truth, however, is that once you stop looking to outward people and stuff to fill that inward void, and start dissecting the reasons why you haven’t accepted yourself as you are, you’ll then learn to reject the lies that tell you you’re not “good enough”, and start focusing on what truly brings purpose and meaning to your life.
