Financial instability is not a trend by Maria G

Financial instability is not a trend by Maria G - October 2026 Scholarship Essay

The dopamine rush comes crashing down. “But why?” I ask myself while walking out of the shopping center with bags full of things I may already have. In the past year, I’ve developed a habit of hastily buying new things. Project Pan is a social media trend that encourages people to use their existing beauty products before purchasing more. That said, it could be interpreted to be more than just a simple trend. My personal experience with this sensation trained me to have discipline, develop a strong mindset and sparked an interest in my own personal finances.

Do you need it or do you just want it? I always used to ask myself that. Realistically, It’s easy to be persuaded. You see a product being marketed as something that’ll make your skin clear and poreless. When you buy it, it doesn’t perform that way. As a result, it sits on your vanity untouched. This has happened to me way too many times. As a community, we are targeted to be fooled into whatever it is that is being advertised. My understanding of this concept has conveniently aided me in obtaining the habit of being mindful of my financial decisions. At the cost of your time, effort and even money, these products may not be worth it in the end. Being able to have resilience when it comes to managing your income may not seem like a big deal in the beginning. Nonetheless, you begin acquiring unhealthy tendencies. Upon starting my current job, I would impulsively buy things just because they looked aesthetic or had seen someone else use it. Eventually, progressing to categories outside of beauty products: clothing, trinkets, accessories, etc. Later, I would feel guilty for being wasteful on account of throwing out or forgetting about these said items. It takes a great amount of courage to not indulge into your wants. It was disappointing to discover how easily I’d let go. Consequently, I would set goals for myself each week to see if I could lessen the amount of money that would be spent on things that aren’t essentials. If I failed I’d be forced to invest twenty dollars in a savings account. Undoubtedly, after numerous failed attempts of bettering this detrimental obsession, the improvement was strengthening my discipline. I no longer buy things that aren’t necessities or if I have yet to run out of a product. On top of that, it served as an opportunity to expand my creativity. This experiment inspired me to seek economic ways to manage my finances in the nature of investing and saving. Project Pan is beyond a trend. In time, financial freedom is what I strive for.

Therefore, what feels more refreshing? Walking out of a store empty handed or everything you spontaneously thought was worth purchasing? This universal social media phenomena that convinces the audience to use their beauty products they already have before investing into more, can be used as a lesson, an inspiration. In addition, it has motivated me to improve my decision making that influences my income, my capability of maintaining a prudent mindset as well as my chances of achieving financial independence.