I mentioned yesterday that my partner and I spent a weekend having a staycation. We booked a hotel and spent a couple of days in a nearby city doing whatever we wanted. It was awesome, as always. We were having dinner at a restaurant on Friday night when a psychological experiment came up. (This is not uncommon - we talk about psychology all the time. Especially after a couple of glasses of wine.)
You see, ever since my income dropped a year ago (by my own choice), I've been subconsciously avoiding shops that are on the more expensive side. Even in a department store, I tend not to look at Hugo Boss or Karen Millen or even Michael Kors pieces. So, naturally, I decided to do a psychological experiment: the next day, I would go to the high-end section of the local high-end department store and try on some dresses. I would ask for the sales personnel's assistance if it was offered. And I would have to be completely sober.
Come the next day, I was freaking out: now that I was sober the idea didn't sound as tempting as it bad the previous night. But it had to be done, for how else could I free myself of the invisible chains in my head? How could I ever buy a nice dress, even if I had the money some day, if I never lost my high-end virginity?
I went to the department store and tried on two Hugo Boss dresses (400 bucks each) and a Karen Millen dress (225 bucks). At both places, the personnel asked if I needed help, and I let them do their job. I tried the dresses on.
I didn't end up buying anything (bright yellow isn't exactly my color), but after the experience, I started thinking of 400 bucks as a fair price for a designer dress. After all, people pay a lot more for a lot less. I even ventured down the designer bag section to look at purses - that suddenly seemed to be priced just right.
A psychological barrier broken! Perhaps I'll buy a 400-buck dress next summer. Perhaps I'll feel like at home at the store. Perhaps wearing a relatively expensive suit will make me feel like I'm destined for success, and become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
How about that.
RK
