Here are 5 reasons why I don’t.
Yes, I have the money to wear pretty much any kind of watch I want. So do we all, really. Credit card limits are so high now that distinguishing the rich from the poor by symbols such as jewelry, clothing, shoes, and handbags has very little relevance.
But, I am a millionaire, and I really can afford to wear any timepiece on my wrist I choose and any other sort of bobbles around my neck or fingers.
I choose none.
Yesterday I stopped to think about why I shun status symbols of all sorts — fancy cars, garish rings, and other extravagant showpieces.
But, before I get into the details, I really have to make a disclaimer. I don’t care if you wear an expensive watch or any other type of jewelry. There is no harm in this, I see it as choices we each make. I can see that some may want to splurge on themselves from time to time. My wife says I am saving my money just so I can give it to my kids after I die, and who needs that? So I do realize that there are two sides to this coin.
In fact, I have read that years ago the bosses of commissioned salespeople would often insist that the newly hired employee purchase an expensive car, such as a Cadillac, for example, as an incentive to produce. The new salesman needs to perform, to close more deals than he normally might, to sell a lot more product, in order to pay for the new car. I can see how that might inspire someone to work their butt off. I can also see, however, how it might backfire. If the salesperson had a bad month and didn’t have the money to make the car payment, the stress could cause the premature termination of what might have been a prosperous sales career.
I also see organizations giving lavish gifts to their performing employees as a type incentive and as a thank you for exemplary accomplishment. A boss of mine from latter years was awarded any car he wanted, and he could get a new one each year as long as he achieved the standards his bosses set. Certainly, because he was not paying for the car, he could drive the proverbial “car of his dreams”, and that can be a huge deal for some people.
I have had some personal experience with this. I once applied to be a vacuum cleaner salesperson and was told in the…
