The Menial Momentum of Realism

According to economist Thorstein Bunde Veblen (1857–1929), the lower and middle classes constantly strive to emulate the upper class. To put it another way, they obsess about keeping up with the Joneses or whichever influencer on TikTok or Instagram has made their lives appear so glamorous that they don't have to perform the "chores" or "grunt work" of said lower classes.

A discrepancy in realism that, in recent years, has, for some, transcended reason and entered the realm of fairy tales seems to be a protest against the frugality of "chores" or "grunt work." It's important to remember the value-driven strength that such frugality possesses. I support anyone who wants to improve their life and financial situation. I used to be a financial advisor, but even in some of these betterment endeavours we witness online, it seems like as the world becomes more depressive, escapist mentalities are regressing far more. People create more lies and fallacies to avoid reality and fool others into believing their elite hype about becoming wealthy or successful online. They are refuting having to do the dull labour that many of us have had to do in our past and present jobs (it indeed was not called a career in my past life stages).

In the current chaos and disarray of the world, many people see the dream as a means of escape and start looking for methods to climb the social ladder. As a result, they become indifferent to the menial administrative tasks, chores, grunt work, and boring stuff you have to do because you can't afford to hire someone else. The absence of such menial and administrative tasks is a status symbol of wealth that communicates, "I have the resources to outsource this so that I can have more time and freedom.

A crippling fallacy.

To have more freedom, I've spent much time with less freedom growing my consulting business to where it is now. A well-worn cliché is a helpful reminder that luxury is a blend of freedom and time. A life of leisure, as Veblen describes it.

Bubble bursting...

Greetings from the realities of self-employment! For many of us in this situation, that entails filing our income tax returns. Depending on your sense of "meaning and purpose," part of that mundane chore is living wisely and consciously within your means. Include the monotony of doing laundry and housework, taking the kids to the park occasionally, walking the dogs, and having to get the cars serviced—and income tax. If, like me, you handle the tedious administrative tasks on your tax return to cut down on outsourcing expenses inside your company and have an impending filing deadline, then I applaud you.

Thank goodness, my tax return is now complete, and after seven years, I'm currently spending less time establishing my business because it's become a valued menial and minimal aspect of my lifestyle as I have been able to define what significance and purpose mean to me in my work.?But even on the defining certainty of purpose, uncertainties exist, and the truth is that I have just recently been able to reimburse myself for money I lent my company, pay back extra voluntary contributions into my state pensions, and obtain an odd director's bonus over the past year or two.

No steady or assured income. Read that again. Living such a life can be daunting unless carefully thought out and executed correctly. It is not for the sheepish or the escape-seeking idealist.

This weekend, as tax deadlines loom, many menial admin grunt workers are the median and binaries that coexist between the vultures looking for their next prey, and the sane realists grunt working and doing their chores with meaning and purpose. I know I chose the latter.

It's okay to follow your dreams once they don't delude you. Don't lose yourself in escapism so much that you can't get yourself back.

To menial momentum and rational realism.

To growth-seeking, purpose-defining grunt workers.

To value-driven integrity.

Much credit is given to Kim Dargahi on Substack for their prompts within their article Mini Cooper vs. Me: Illusions and Delusions of Wealth, which aided me to spill this one randomly from my mind this morning.