Resisting luxurious temptations, such as fashion, cars, and trends that the world offers can be difficult. When you look next door and see your neighbor has the newest and coolest car, it is easy to find yourself in a game of keeping up with the Joneses. It is important that you ask yourself if this car is something you want and need, or simply an effort to keep up with others for social status.

If you find yourself caught in the midst of these distractions, you will be detoured from obtaining your goals and reaching your financial potential. Even more important, material things don’t bring lasting joy in life. Not caring what other people think can create greater wealth and happiness while obtaining social indifference.

The prevalence of social media adds a new aspect to keeping up with the hottest new trends. Social platforms act as a display case for the peaks in people’s life. Often vacations, restaurants, and purchases are presented, making others’ lives look perfect and glamourous. What isn’t shown are the bad moments and everyday life. As humans observing other’s peak moments, we tend to want similar things, equating purchases with happiness.

When clouded by a mindset that buying new things will bring lasting joy, we trap ourselves in a belief system that hinders the growth process. When we stop letting the Joneses dictate who we are and how we make decisions, instead relying on our own intuition, courage, and strength, we obtain freedom from those outside influences; we obtain social indifference. Change your mindset, change your outcome!

Here are some ways that you can obtain social indifference:

Question Yourself

One of the easiest ways to determine whether you truly need an item is to ask yourself why you haven’t considered buying it before you saw someone else have it. For example, if your friend just bought a new Mercedes, you have probably already seen this car multiple times and never had the desire to buy one until now. As soon as someone close to you is the new owner, it becomes something you want. Asking yourself why you haven’t wanted this item before seeing your friend have one can help you determine the actual reason you want the car.

Look at your Personal Needs

Evaluating what is important to you or your family can determine how you are being socially influenced. If you have a good understanding of your wants and needs, it will be easier to be socially indifferent. Things you have decided are of little value to you will be less of a distraction than they once were. Once you realize you have different needs than your friends, you will be less swayed by the things they purchase. If you truly want to put yourself and your family first, stop caring what other people think. If you have children, helping them recognize the approval of others is fleeting will help your family unit create a life that you are happy and content with.

Remember your Goals

Setting long and short-term goals will let you understand which purchases are hindering you from reaching your goals. When having larger things to work for, weighing the cost of the temporary happiness of a big-ticket item vs what it takes away from your larger goal gives you a better perspective on what is important.

“Avoid distractions and the ‘shiny object syndrome’ the general population suffers from because millionaires aren’t focused on what might make them happy today; they’re focused on their long-term wealth-building plan.” – Chris Hogan, Everyday Millionaires: How Ordinary People Built Extraordinary Wealth — and How You Can Too Training yourself to display social indifference can be tricky, but with practice and determination it can be instilled into your everyday lifestyle. As time goes on, you will even be able to pinpoint smaller purchases you make on a social level and stop repeat purchases that no longer make you happy. Doing this will still allow you to be happy for your friends, but you will no longer need to duplicate their experiences. Having a mindset that isn’t flooded with envy will save you money and change your outcome!