#6 Fake it until you make it.

When I was young, I was made to come to terms with the difference between whatever wealth my parents had (or didn't have) and that which I had myself (Which until college, was exactly zero cedis). In deed, my lifestyle somewhat bellied what my parents could have given me if they had been trying to keep up with Joneses, as many were doing. 

Among the many benefits of this education was my acute appreciation for the difference between being rich, and being well-to-do.

But let me get some concerns out of the way. A; Rich is an easier classification and well-to-do is a mouthful (I should know. It's a pain just to keep typing) and B; what defines 'well-to-do'?

The answer? Nothing. Which is precisely why I prefer this term.
Forbes has a clear definition for Rich. 'Well-to-do' however is vague, as it should be. Because honestly, how many self-respecting folks can actually classify themselves as anything if they aren't clearly rich or poor without being subjective?

For years, I kept hearing mates of mine talking about how 'rich' their parents were... Or rather how 'rich' they; the children, were (By sheer proximity, I'd imagine).

Interestingly, I run into these mates years later, and I'm still yet to find one that ended up living as rich as they apparently were as kids... Hard times, I suppose?

Oddly enough, an aspect that I never connected until fairly recently was this...

You may get the guy with the expensive car looking sharp when he's out and about. But balance of probability would have him find his way to his ma and pa's garage at the end of each day; as opposed to the mansion that his lifestyle implies ought to exist some place.

For the rest, it's a good ol' Home used sedan (if that), a rented flat, chosen more for utility than preference, and a job he needs to keep attending if he expects to remain in the black at the end of each month.

It's sort of the opportunity cost of investing in products versus investing in marketing. It's really not as cut and dry as hippies would have you think, when or whether you'd be better off putting your money in look or putting your money in substance.

But because of this illusion, it took me a while to distinguish the difference between 'Swag' and 'actual worth' of people -- Like a good while. So long in fact that I was under the impression most people my age were doing 'so well for themselves' that I was a complete failure by comparison.

To be fair, I've recently come to understand that in the business world, it's better  to be descrete about any sense of your personal worth, as this may go a long way to affect how much clients and consumers are willing to pay for your products or services. A good friend aptly put it this way, "Fake it until you make it". 
And boy, aren't we all some fake mother****ers? 

Late a realization as it may have been for me, appreciating the (often massive) chasm between everyone elses' swag and their actual worth offered for me, an interesting alternative to convincing myself that I was immune to Society's simplistic notions of success. 

Specifically because the former contains considerably less bullshit than the latter.