As an anaesthesiologist, I sometimes felt a certain pressure to drive a better car, live in the right neighbourhood, or book luxurious accommodations when travelling.
For the most part, I resisted. Luxury’s just never really been my thing. I’m more of a stealth wealth kind of guy, and unnecessary expenditures fly in the face of the financial security I was after.
I have to admit that it was not that difficult blending in and avoiding consumerism culture living in smaller towns in the midwest where I spent most of my career.
Over-consumerism can be spotted millions of times each day, just flipping through TV or browsing the Internet. It espouses the principle that you are what you have. It’s what makes residents buy an expensive suit to go to weekly educational conferences instead of paying down their student loans.
Once I made financial security my goal and admitted that I knew absolutely nothing about it, the flood gates opened. I found a lot of power in this simple admission: that I did not know what I was doing.
I am not a car person. I really don’t derive any pleasure from how fast my car can potentially go or how it looks. Because I was lost in consumerism, I was planning to lease a luxury car for $450/month once I moved to start as an attending. But this wouldn't have actually made me happy.