Let’s be real for a second: there is a difference between being broken and being poor.
Being broken is often temporary. It happens. We have all had times when the card is refused and you have to simulate a “it’s weird” face while asking you secretly if you have enough change in the car for parking.
But there is a particular flavor of Broke which is more difficult to spot, because it is disguised as successful.
It is organized. It is filtered. And it often comes with the kind of habits that look Like confidence, but more consist of covering insecurity.
Here are 7 of the most common I noticed.
1. They spend more rich energy than becoming rich
There is this quote from Dave Ramsey that I can’t live: “We buy things we don’t need with money, we don’t have to impress people we don’t like.”
It is the central behavior here.
People who are mowed but who want to succeed tend to orient their concentration on symbols of status at the surface level.
Creator sneakers on credit cards. $ 18 cocktails in bars on the roof. The last phone, even if the one they have works very well.
It is not a question of enjoying the thing – it is a question of being seen With the thing.
The energy that could go to the learning of a new skill, to create a lateral jostling or to improve their financial literacy is swallowed by the performance of having “done” it.
2. They treat social media like a CV
You never meet someone in real life after having followed them on Instagram and think… Oh.
The digital version of them lives their best life – flights, selfies, new “collaborations”. But offline? The vibrations are different.
One of the biggest gifts is when someone’s flow is too organized to show constant victories: press mentions, airport salons, motivation legends that are read like Linkedin tests.
And yet, behind the scenes, they dodge the rent, juggle late invoices or borrowing just to maintain appearances.
This does not shame anyone to be ambitious or to use social media for his work. I do this too. But there is a difference between documenting your trip and building a facade to hide what does not work.
3. They avoid honest conversations on money
Here is a wild statistic: according to a study of Journal of Consumer Researchpeople with financial instability are more likely to Avoid conversations on money– Not fair with others, but with themselves.
I saw this in action. When someone is broken but claims that he does not do so, he dodges financial questions as she is allergic.
They will say things like:
“Oh, I’m just understanding things right now.”
“I don’t really think in terms of budgets.”
“Money is not all, you know.”
Who, of course. But when you constantly Avoid checking your bank account or having transparent conversations on debt, expenses or income, you don’t only hide from others – you hide your own reality.
4. They continue all flashy opportunities
This one strikes a little close to my home.
In the middle of the twenty, I said yes to all the “commercial opportunities” which seemed to be at exciting distance. Affiliation programs. Crypto falls. Dropshipping. Coaching of people of people I had never heard of.
For what? Because I was desperate for a fast victory.
People who are mowed but trying to seem to succeed often cling to anything that promises money or rapid status.
They strengthen every three months. They have always “just launched” something. They are always “in talks” of a new project.
But nothing really sticks. Because the agitation consists less in building something solid – and more of staying in motion, so nobody notices that they hold still.
5. They use big words to cover small progress
Look how someone talks about their work.
If each sentence is full of vague and swollen language – “vertical scale”, “taking advantage of strategic alignment”, “positioning of the personal brand” – but they cannot tell you clearly what they TO DO Or earn From there, it is generally an index.
I once met a guy who described himself as a “serial entrepreneur in the space of lifestyle innovation”.
Translation: He was unemployed and sold Knockoff sunglasses on Etsy.
As Harvard’s psychologist noted, Ellen Langer, “When people feel uncertain, they tend to use a more complicated language to seem competent.”
This does not mean that everyone uses the terms of the industry simulates it. But if someone is constantly speaking in pitch-pitch jargon without tangible results to show, it is worth paying attention.
6. They surround themselves with people who do not ask questions
One thing I noticed? The more someone tries to appear Success without doing the work, the more they isolate themselves from people who could call them.
They will gravitate towards social groups that thrive on media threw, not honesty.
No one asks:
“Wait, how do you finance this trip?”
“Did this launch make money?”
“Are you okay financially?”
Instead, these are just praise, likes and affirmations in the surface.
And it works for a while. But ultimately, the gap between the image and reality becomes too wide to ignore.
As Dr. Brené Brown noted, “when we pretend, we lose the ability to connect.” Pretending to be successful does not only cost money – it costs the connection.
7. They reject everything that seems “basic”
This one always makes me laugh.
You suggest a savings plan or mention budgeting, and they look at you as if you have just insulted their entire line.
“Budgeting is for people who think little.”
“I’m not about grid 9-5.”
“I focus on abundance state of mind, no rarity. “”
Okay, but abundance does not consist in claiming that you are rich while your nosedives credit scoring.
People who are mowed but who pretend to succeed often treat practical financial advice as there are below them.
They want manifest richness, but no follow -up of expenses. They will make folies on expensive mentoring programs, but will never download a free budget application.
The real success often starts with boring habits: cooking at home, checking your bank balance, saying no to the things you cannot afford.
But for someone stuck in the image of success, these habits do not seem glamorous enough to take seriously.
The bottom line
Pretending to succeed is exhausting and expensive.
I receive the temptation. Especially when you are surrounded by highlighted reels, brilliant virals and tiktoks promising that you can be a millionaire in three months if you just think of the right thoughts.
But long -term success begins with honesty.
Honesty on where you are, what works and what to change.
What if it means being broken while you build something real? At any rate. It is a thousand times more powerful than being fooled for the likes.