We treat money as one of our most precious commodities.  Most of us only have a very limited quantity.  So when we are parted with our dear dollars it means something.  It means that the item we are exchanging it for must be at least as valuable or potentially far more valuable to us in the future.  It’s not always a science to predict whether or not something will acquire more value in the future or not, not everything is a Birkin bag.  So we have to have faith when we make an extravagant purchase.  We have to believe the item we are exchanging for our precious commodity is worth it to us, no matter what the circumstances.  We gamble and we worry that perhaps we’re laid too many chips on the table.  But, what if instead of worrying about the return on our investment, we decided in favor of optimism.  

Let me give you an example.  You walk into a store and you see a suit on a mannequin.  You ask the retail associate to take down the garment so you can try it on.  Astonishingly it fits like a glove.  Your power suit is perfectly suited to you.  You decide to buy it.  You buy into the idea of the power suit.  You believe it can change you.  This suit can and will change the way you see yourself and how the outside world sees you as well.  You pay for it in cash and walk out the door, still wearing said power garment.  Now, what are the odds that you’ve made a terrible decision?  Well, that all depends on you and your attitude.  Your ability to carry off a structured blazer and pinstripe does not depend on the clothing, it depends on you and your personal attitude.  The way you feel has a tremendous effect on whether or not your investment will count.  

After sinking a small fortune on the latest sparkly thing it’s easy to start second guessing the decision.  Blaming the sales person, the dressing room lighting, the mirrors—these are all scenarios we have probably found ourselves in at some point in time.  We forget the rush we felt at the opportunity to wear our prize out in public for the first time.  Perspective can change over time and multiple alterations.  It’s easy to feel like we’ve made an unfortunate splurge once the magic has worn off.  In a sense, we are exchanging dollars for dreams, and when we don’t deliver, we blame the Manolos, the Leiber clutch, or the Junya Watanabe weirdness staring back at us tauntingly from its hanger.  But here’s the clencher, RenFluencers: you gotta pay to play—and hope you don’t end up playing yourself.