“We don’t understand the world of rich people,” is something many people have said.
In modern society, many people who have money want to buy fancy houses and fancy cars. They want everyone to know they’re rich. But many truly rich people are what people call “invisible billionaires.” They don’t show off their wealth. Sometimes they don’t even want people to notice they’re rich.
Maybe that’s how rich people should really be.
Money is the basic guarantee of life, so many people like to show off their wealth. This is actually a sign of a lack of confidence. Truly rich people don’t deliberately show off their wealth because they don’t need to use wealth to prove they’re better than others. They don’t need this kind of validation.
Only people who do their work seriously and are humble are more popular among people.
Humble people aren’t necessarily not excellent, but they live more for themselves. Loud people aren’t necessarily excellent, they just live in a flashy way for other people to see.
The most precious things in life aren’t wealth, but a healthy body and a happy family. These things have nothing to do with other people.
If we want to be popular and respected among people, we must never show off these three things.
Don’t Show Off Your Wealth
This is the most important point. It’s none of anyone’s business how much money you have. It’s your money and you earned it. You’re not going to give it away to anyone. When you tell people you’re rich, you’re just showing off.
But other people might not be as rich as you, but they’re happy. Once they know you’re much richer than them, they won’t feel good about it. Even if they aren’t jealous, they’ll deliberately distance themselves from you.
After all, nobody wants a friend who reminds them they’re not doing well every time they meet.
And don’t even mention that some people with bad intentions will know you’re rich and have bad thoughts. “People die for money, birds die for food.” That’s not just a saying.
Most importantly, people who have wealth today might have nothing tomorrow. They might even be in debt. In ancient times, people said money is an external thing, you don’t bring it with you when you’re born, and you don’t take it with you when you die. So, what’s there to show off about?
Maybe some people value wealth and money. Having wealth makes them feel extremely happy and satisfied, but not everyone has the same idea, the same values.
So, showing off your wealth is a very easy way to make people dislike you. It’s also the most effective way to lower your popularity index. I once read a story about how wealth can’t buy respect.
There was a rich man who had a lot of money, but people didn’t respect him. The rich man was very upset. He had so much money, why did people look down on him? One day he was walking down the street and he met a beggar in rags.
The rich man gave the beggar a gold coin. He thought the beggar would thank him profusely, but the beggar didn’t even look at him. He just kept picking lice off himself. The rich man got angry and asked, “Are you blind? I gave you a gold coin, why don’t you thank me properly?”
The beggar said, “What you give is your business. If you’re not happy, you can take it back.” The rich man, in a fit of anger, gave the beggar ten gold coins. The beggar still didn’t pay any attention.
The rich man stomped his feet in anger and said, “I gave you ten gold coins! I’m a rich man. Why are you so disrespectful to me?” The beggar lazily replied, “What does it have to do with me if you’re rich? It’s my right to respect you or not.”
The rich man asked, “If I give you half of my wealth, will you respect me?” The beggar rolled his eyes, “If you give me half of your wealth, we’ll both be equally rich. Why would I respect you?”
“Then if I give you all of my wealth, will you respect me?”
The beggar laughed at him like he was an idiot, “If you give me all of your wealth, you’ll become a beggar, and I’ll become the rich man. Since I’m the rich man, why would I respect you?”
You see, whether people respect you or welcome you has very little to do with whether you’re rich or not.
Don’t Show Off Your Connections.
We meet many people by chance. We get to know many people. Some of them are big shots.
But many people are just in our friend list. We can tell people we know them, but they might not be the kind of people we can influence.
It’s not worth bragging about having important people in your circle of friends because they’re the ones who are important, not you. It’s hard for people to believe that you’re using someone else’s achievements to show off yourself.
It’s like two equally down-and-out people getting together. One mocks the other for not being as successful as someone else. Did you become as successful as the person you’re talking about? You’re in the same storm, so what kind of confidence do you have to use someone else’s good fortune to mock someone who’s about the same as you?
Some people like to compare themselves to others. They like to show off, but they don’t have enough ability. So, they use the people they know, hear about, or see to compare themselves to. For example, someone in your circle of friends has more money than you. Or I heard my coworker say that her relative’s neighbor’s kid is the top scorer in the provincial college entrance exam… When you hear this, the other person will pretend to agree, but in their heart they’ll secretly ask, “What does that person you’re showing off about have to do with you? What does it have to do with me?”
This kind of condescending, arrogant attitude will make many people avoid you. Another risk of showing off your connections is that it’s easy to get yourself into a difficult situation.
If the person you’re showing off about isn’t that close to you, but a friend believes you and asks you to get something done for them, what are you going to do? Untrue things always get exposed. When they do, your image in the other person’s eyes will be greatly diminished. Over time, people will see you as someone who only talks big.
How can this kind of relationship be harmonious?
Don’t Show Off Your Children
In the eyes of many parents, their own children are the most beautiful, the most outstanding, the cutest, and the most well-behaved. They have all the good qualities in the universe. Every child is the NO.1 in their parents’ eyes. You have your NO.1, others have theirs.
Every child is different. Their personalities are different, and their strengths are different. It can be said that every child can be excellent. When someone shows off their child’s advantages, it’s inevitable that other parents will be unhappy: Your child is good at everything, my child isn’t bad either!
Moreover, although the growth and achievements of children have the result of parental education and guidance, there is also the child’s own effort and hard work. Think about it. If parents just spend money to send their children to learn dance, but the children themselves are not willing to practice, then no matter how much money you spend, no matter how good the teacher is, it’s useless. Did the parents not fulfill their responsibilities? Not entirely.
Therefore, every child’s achievements have the child’s own efforts. It can be said that it is the joint effort of two generations, parents and children. Every family’s way of getting along is different, so the children they raise are naturally different.
This kind of bragging that has no basis for comparison will become annoying if you say it too much.
Being humble is always a kind of cultivation, and it’s also a kind of wisdom in getting along with others.
Many people who are not showy or boastful live better than others, but because they know how to live a quiet life that belongs to them, they are tolerant and accepting of others’ lives, so they are welcomed and respected.
This is much better than those who deliberately show off. When someone shows off, it only satisfies their vanity, but it will hurt others. In the end, they will become the ones who are not welcomed in the group.
Humans are social animals. We all live in groups. So, making people like you and wanting to be friends with you is true success. Even if you’re sensitive and timid, you can make yourself popular through hard work.
Be kind and caring to others, but most importantly, love yourself in life. May you be welcomed and your life be bright and sunny.