[Music] hey you guys do you ever look around and just feel like God everybody around me feels wealthier than I am well if that's you today I want to share some common reasons why we might feel this way plus I'll share proven ways to combat this feeling and keep your focus but before we get started be sure to subscribe so you'll never miss an episode all right if you know me you know that I talk about comparison culture a lot and I think it's on my mind often because I see it challenging Us in new ways all the time right when we were young it may have been like American Eagle or Hollister t-shirts that you see but now it's like a $5,000 car that you see your neighbor driving so the price seems to have gone up when it comes to our comparison and it's constantly interrupting us through social media and advertising and again it's not making any of this easier so let's have a little level set for a second according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics the average salary in the US during Q4 of last year was just below $60,000 so if you're close to the national average that means two things are true number one you are normal and number two most people are in the exact same boat as you which brings me to reason number one comparison culture is making us feel behind is because most people people are using debt to get ahead and it can feel like everyone around you has like a new trendy thing all the time or go they're doing all this stuff like Vacations or they're going out to Great dinners or it feels like they're traveling a lot and that can feel so so normal but what you have to realize is statistically speaking we are seeing debt of all kinds are on the rise so that's credit cards car loans personal loans helocs we are seeing people borrow money more than ever before now yes we are in a tough economy right now with high inflation and so some people are using it to cover basic necessities for sure but also our lifestyle and the standard of living that we have in America today is pretty dang high and so for the average American to be able to cash flow and support what we see as quote unquote normal is really difficult so if you're seeing people going above and beyond they possibly possibly could be using debt for that the second reason you might feel like you're making less than everyone else is maybe you are you know sometimes it's a false sense of comparison because genuinely you might be making less than the person you're comparing your life to and this isn't necessarily a bad thing but if it's a problem in your budget then you have a couple of options number one you may have to increase your income right if there's a certain level you want to be living but you're not making that income then your income needs to increase and so whether that side hustles uh working overtime or even getting a raise at your current job whatever it looks like increasing your income is going to be important but then also lowering your spending and so if you want some margin because you're not making as much as the person next to you when it comes to your expenses this is going to be really crucial you're going to have to go through and really really look at where you're spending your money and where you can actually be more purposeful and say hey I'm actually going to spend x amount at the grocery store I'm not going to go out to eat much as I was I'm going to cut subscriptions that I'm not using you know I'm going to do these things to be able to create margin on the expenses side and kind of like what we said earlier but I think there's something important to be said about adjusting your expectations so if you are average and you're making $60,000 and you're comparing your lifestyle to someone that's making $10 they're making double what you're making so your lifestyles are going to look different so to get that margin lowering your expenses is going to be really crucial the third reason you might feel behind is because of unseen factors so what do I mean by this well maybe you're paying for child care but the person you're comparing your life to Grandma watches the kids right and so they're saving three 34,000 a month on child care because they have free child care maybe their spouse is working and yours isn't so they have a dual income coming in you know maybe they've paid off their student loans and they don't have that leaving their income and you still are paying student loans you know it could even be family money right I mean like who knows but these unseen reasons you have to understand is a reality so I think it's really important again because you have to know when you're comparing your life to someone else's you have no idea from a 360 picture what's going on again maybe they're making way more than you think that they're making or maybe they're borrowing way more than you think they are but whatever it is there are unseen things happening and so take that into account something else that is unseen but is a threat today is our Internet safety that is why I want to tell you about one of our sponsors delete me I saw a headline recently that really caught my attention that onethird of the US population's background info is now public so for 115 million of us data breaches mean that our info is out there for anyone to find and this is things like our names addresses phone numbers I mean it's crazy you guys and this is why I love delete me because they will find and remove your information from hundreds of data broker websites that will buy sell and trade your personal data so take control of your online privacy with delete me individual delete me plans start as low as $9 a month so sign up today at join delet me.com Rachel for 20% off and I'll also put a link in the description all right reason number four you feel behind financially is because net worth is invisible so some people may be prioritizing daily luxuries right so whether it's you know shopping or Vacations or going out to eat like whatever it looks like that you're seeing is oh my gosh they must have so much they may be putting all of their income to that and none towards savings or investing where you might be working to get out of debt so your income's going there instead of a nice purse maybe you are investing money into retirement so yours is going there and not a vacation at the moment so you know whatever it looks like when you are really being wise with your money and you're planning long-term goals and you're actually fulfilling those that means your money is being pushed out to the Future and it's not present but for a lot of people they aren't investing in retirement a lot of people are not trying to pay off debts they're not saving up an emergency fund they're just spending what they have and so their present money is going to look like they have more when in fact net worth wise you could have more isn't that crazy it may not look like it but whether you're paying extra on your house and you have more Equity again maybe you have Investments you don't have any debt like you're doing these things to put yourself in a great financial position from a net worth perspective you may have a lot more net worth and their's actually you could be negative but it doesn't look that way so your net worth is invisible remember that and the fifth reason you could feel behind is that you don't have clear goals guiding you and what I mean by this is when you have something that you're shooting for and you're like okay this is my next step or I want to try to do this and this and this and you kind of have this guide with your money Beyond just everyday expenses but you know hey long term this is what I'm going to do you're really focused on your money there and and and the exciting thing is hopefully it's going to bring you Joy to know that you're putting your money in places that you want to put it but if you don't have goals guiding you and that you're not motivated in a certain way it's going to be even easier to fall into this comparison trap cuz if you're kind of just living and going and you don't really have Direction with your money feels like any picture or any conversation your friend has with you could really take you and spiral you all the way thinking oh my gosh like look at what everyone else is doing but when you're like no we're going to save up for that new car and pay cash for it or we're going to you know try to go on this trip for anniversary next year or whatever fill in the blank and you have a goal that you're saving towards and you're focused on that that's going to really still give you Direction versus just hearing or seeing people do stuff and thinking oh my gosh look at what all they're doing because you're not making progress with your money so money goals are so crucial not only from a tactical standpoint but also from a heart and motivation standpoint and always remember that comparison is the thief of Joy it is a liar as well because when you compare your internal money struggles to someone else's external status symbols it is never a fair assessment okay so give yourself a lot of Grace and always remember when I I see may not always be the full picture now I wrote about comparison because it is something that I've always kind of struggled with I'm always looking around whether it's Mom comparison career comparison life comparison I mean you fill in the blank Rachel has been through it but learning that contentment is so key not just in your financial Journey but for you as a person overall is really important and so I wrote a whole book on this called love your life not theirs and for right now it's 30% off for our 50 days of Christmas deals so I'll put a link below make sure to check that out and sometimes it can be helpful to gauge how you're pacing with the average American so if you need a quick checkpoint check out my episode on how do you compare financially to the average American coming next and share this with a friend who may need some encouragement all right you guys remember to take control of your money and create a life you love
