Why Your Fancy Car Doesn’t Move the Needle

Hey friends, it’s Tina.

I was sitting in the drive-thru today, watching the guy in front of me in a neon-orange supercar—you know the kind, the ones that sound like a lawnmower on steroids—absolutely lose his mind on the poor teenager working the window because they ran out of spicy mustard.

And it hit me. Like, really hit me.

We live in this world where we’re constantly told that “making it” means having the right logo on your chest, the right horsepower under the hood, and a bank account that looks like a phone number. But as I watched Mustard Man turn purple in his $200,000 car, I realized: I am officially unimpressed.

Don’t get me wrong. I like nice things. I’m a human being with eyes and a Pinterest board. If someone wants to gift me a designer handbag, I’m not going to run away screaming. But here’s the thing: Stuff is just background noise.

I’ve met people who live in literal mansions but have the emotional depth of a teaspoon. I’ve met people who drive cars that cost more than my first three houses combined, yet they can’t hold a conversation without checking their reflection in their phone screen every thirty seconds.

The only way to genuinely impress me is by being a good person. I don’t care about what you have, what you drive, or what you wear. I respect people with good morals and values.

That quote (which you might have seen me lurking around with lately) is basically my Roman Empire. I think about it all the time.

If you want to impress me, don’t show me your watch. Show me how you treat the person cleaning the floors at the mall. Show me how you react when things go wrong and it’s not your fault.

Here is a non-exhaustive list of things that actually make me think you’re a rockstar:

• Returning your shopping cart: It’s the ultimate litmus test for being a decent human. There’s no reward for doing it, and no punishment for not doing it. It’s just… the right thing to do.

• Admitting when you’re wrong: There is nothing sexier—spiritually speaking—than someone saying, “My bad, I totally messed that up. How can I fix it?”

• Consistency: Being a “good person” isn’t a performance you put on for a first date or a LinkedIn profile. It’s who you are when nobody is looking and there’s nothing to gain.

Can we talk about the pressure to “look” successful? We spend so much time editing our lives to look like a high-end commercial. We wear the itchy sweaters because they’re “in,” and we buy the car that’s a nightmare to park just to feel like we’ve “arrived.”

But arrived where?

I’d much rather sit on a curb eating lukewarm fries with someone who has a heart of gold and a solid moral compass than sit at a five-star restaurant with someone who thinks their net worth dictates their self-worth.

So, here’s my takeaway for the week. Let’s stop trying to “flex” our possessions and start flexing our character.

Be the person who listens more than they speak. Be the person who shows up when they say they will. Be the person who has “good morals and values” not because it’s a cool aesthetic, but because you actually care about the humans around you.

Because at the end of the day, your car will eventually end up in a scrapyard, and those designer shoes will go out of style. But the way you made someone feel? That stays.

Stay real, stay kind, and for the love of everything, please return your shopping carts.

Love,

Tina