Mimetic v. Values Based Spending
Background On Who I Am, What I Do, Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire In Everyday Life, Money: $100 Amazon Gift Card (For Paid Subscribers Expires 3 Days from published date)
Happy Friday and a big welcome to all new subscribers!
Every time a post is published I share one wealth beyond money idea, something personally inspiring beyond wealth and money, and for paid subscribers an easy and unconventional way to earn some money with my analysis of the opportunity if you take action, and one question for you to consider.
Before we get to this edition of Wealth Beyond Money I want to take a few moments to share with you a little about who I am and what I do.
Who I Am
I like to keep my identity small as I try to solve the riddle of who I am, and what motivates me.
From my writing you may have a sense of what I value: truth-seeking, freedom, courage, and valuing time as my greatest asset. These are in no particular order but it might give you an idea what is driving me.
I’ve mentioned in the past I grew up in a cult.
Also grew up as a first generation US American in New York, bilingual, eventually learning multiple languages as an early, albeit unconscious, attempt to understand how language is used to shape our worldview.
My gift for learning languages eventually got me hired as a language analyst for the government at one of its three letter agencies. In all honesty my role there and my personal values weren’t in alignment but curiosity got the better me. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to get an inside view of government and how it really works.
If I was hired by my government to ensure national security then I convinced myself I had the skill set to ensure my personal security in all areas of life, including financial security. So I set out to uncover the secrets of how money works to free myself from the trade time for money model I was programmed to adopt.
Around the same time I discovered the religious community I grew up in and my lifestyle choices were incompatible and had to make a difficult choice: be true to myself or follow the crowd and bask in its safety.
Over time these experiences allowed me to practice the courage to be different and think outside of the beliefs and identities I was programmed to adopt within and outside of a religious context. My experience leaving a cult and learning to adapt to life outside a cult has allowed me to see not all cults are religious.
What I Do
These days I examine my core spiritual, political, health, and financial beliefs regularly to consciously choose beliefs based on the outcomes they produce and maintain as little ego attachment to beliefs as possible.
It’s a work in progress.
I also help busy professionals and the overworked wealthy take inventory of how time, energy, and attention are being invested to narrow the gap between life as it is and life as it can be dreamed up.
Ready for this edition? Vamooooooos!
One Wealth Beyond Money Idea
Mimetic v. Values based spending.
Recently finished a book recommended by Chamath Palihapitiya on the All In Podcast. Wanting (link to the book on Amazon is below) discusses the ideas of Rene Girard and his understanding of mimicry in human desire.
According to Girard our desires are imitative of what other humans consider valuable, not what we personally consider valuable. Some of these desires are based on meeting needs and others, perhaps the majority, on wants.
It is easier to have desires and invest based on what other humans want i.e. mimetic based spending.
It is more difficult to base your spending on what you personally value, independent of what others around you consider desirable i.e. values-based spending.
Consider setting time aside and get clear around what you value and spend (money and time) freely on that. Who cares if it gets you likes on social media.
Beyond Wealth and Money
A book recommendation: Wanting; The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life by Luke Burgis. Gravity affects every aspect of our physical being, but there’s a psychological force just as powerful―yet almost nobody has heard of it. It’s responsible for bringing groups of people together and pulling them apart, making certain goals attractive to some and not to others, and fueling cycles of anxiety and conflict. In Wanting, Luke Burgis draws on the work of French polymath René Girard to bring this hidden force to light and reveals how it shapes our lives and societies.
According to Girard, humans don’t desire anything independently. Human desire is mimetic―we imitate what other people want. This affects the way we choose partners, friends, careers, clothes, and vacation destinations. Mimetic desire is responsible for the formation of our very identities. It explains the enduring relevance of Shakespeare’s plays, why Peter Thiel decided to be the first investor in Facebook, and why our world is growing more divided as it becomes more connected.
Money (For Paid Subscribers)
Value: $100 Amazon Gift Card
Dollar Cost: $0
Time Cost: ~5 minutes
ROI: Infinite or $1200+ per hour
If you are a paid subscriber, reply to this post to thank you for reading and more importantly taking action.
One Question For You
What would values based spending look like for me?
If you found value here it would mean a lot to me if you can share it with someone. This is a conversation between you and me. Comments or questions from you the reader are always welcomed.
Until next time. Happy week ahead!
More about what Ed is up to here