Does being rich mean a lifetime of endless play and pleasure? After meeting many of the “wealthy,” my thoughts differ. Let’s get to the point: If you lack the Habitus to manage wealth, becoming rich can be a faster way to ruin your life. If you wear a crown you cannot carry, it will break your neck. Our goal shouldn’t be money itself—it should be not being consumed by money.
1. What is Habitus?
Before start, I will summarize Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of Habitus: Humans do not choose freely. The social DNA embedded in our class and status governs our thoughts and actions.
(1) What is the Habitus of Wealth?
Not everyone can become rich. But even if you become rich, not everyone can maintain that wealth. This is exactly where Nassim Taleb critiques Thomas Piketty. While it’s true that money breeds money, the person holding that money is not always the same. This is proof that even if you become rich, the ability to maintain that wealth is an entirely different matter.
To maintain wealth, you must create a “space” where money transforms from raw material into output. You need an eye for the “veins of money” in the market. Why? Because money is entropic—it naturally scatters if left alone. The public’s ressentiment, Luxury, scammers, the taxman, and inflation are constantly gnawing at your assets. Without the Habitus of wealth, you will lose everything while trying to “roll” it.
(2) Ghosts of the Past: The Man Clinging to a Rotten Rope
The most critical part of the Habitus of wealth is the insight to see the structure of money flow. However, if you cling to old success formulas, you won’t let go of the rope even as it rots. Back in my days as a merchant, I was close with a certain landlord. We often argued over rent hikes. Despite his wealth, he constantly lamented that he had no cash left. The problem arose because:
(Tax + Interest + Depreciation) > Rental Income
The grandfather believed that (Tax + Interest + Depreciation) < (Rental Income + Asset Appreciation). While “Asset Appreciation” is a misrealized gain, it used to be steep enough to cover taxes and interest. But those days are gone.
In an era of exploding population, you could survive just by selling fried chicken. Not anymore. We are in the age of low birth rates, aging populations, the collapse of manufacturing, and domestic stagnation. Online platforms, logistics, and the DIY economy are the new sovereigns.
Yet, some remain trapped in the memory of making money through real estate. They obsess over nominal asset prices, clinging to the faith that “real estate only goes up.” Since tenants aren’t coming in, they take out loans against the building. “This time will be different,” they say, buying “prime spots.” But for a building to maintain value, the business inside must thrive. That is an area the landlord cannot control. They’ve handed the most vital part of their fate to someone else. The end is predictable: they either sell because they can’t handle the health insurance and property taxes, or they get hit with a 50% Inheritance Tax bomb. (The grandfather held the building until his last breath. His son sold it to pay the inheritance tax.)
(3) Dopamine Addicts: Charging In Without Knowing the Nature of Business
The second key to the Habitus of wealth is embodying the physiology of business. Without this, you get fleeced with your eyes wide open. There are “money veins” you only see after grinding on the floor for at least five years. Those who ignore this and chase “quick success” lose everything. I’ve seen countless retirees from major corporations lose their life savings to the sweet talk of franchises.
Most Dopamine Addicts want rapid results. They invest before understanding how the market breathes. They think “everything can be solved with money”. If sales are low, they spend more on marketing; if busy, they just hire more staff. But If you don’t know how the business actually runs, you will be 100% fleeced.
Since I was in the F&B industry, I’ll spill the real story of how this floor works based on my experience and reporting. Here is the [4-Step Success Formula] of the true sharks.
The 4-Step Success Formula of the “True Sharks”
Most people believe hard work and taste are enough. They’re wrong.
In the F&B world, there’s a cold-blooded logic to printing money that has nothing to do with the kitchen.
Step 1: Build the ‘Gura'(The Narrative Grift) and Own the Media
Athletes and celebrities often blow their fortunes in F&B because they rely on their name alone. They believe a “Michelin-starred chef” or a “Great spot” is the key. But 80% of fine dining operates in the red. Real sharks start with a fake mythology. A secret recipe from a 100-year-old grandmother, a recipe “found while homeless in Jamaica,” or a secret formula Starbucks tried to buy—it doesn’t matter as long as it’s a good story. Then, they get a “shout-out” from someone with an aura (a celebrity or a major media title). This borrowed authority makes the public accept the ‘Gura’ (Narrative grift) without verification. People don’t care if the 100-year-old grandma exists; they just enjoy the fantasy.
First, get famous. By any means necessary. Once you’re famous, even your shit gets applause.
Step 2: Create a Collective Destiny to Cross the Valley of Death
They pour money into interior design at A-class locations to create a “hip” vibe. Revenue looks great, but profit is zero after rent, labor, and marketing.
This is when the Franchise and YouTube engine starts. They funnel work to their own interior design subsidiaries, offsetting the flagship’s deficit with money from franchise owners. Still, the overhead is massive. It’s a cold hard fact: even if you hit $10 million in revenue, your operating profit can bottom out at a measly $10,000. If the bank refuses to roll over the debt, it’s game over—instant bankruptcy. The CEO practically lives at the bank every single day. I’ve been in those desperate drinking sessions myself. You have to scrape every franchisee together and schmooze—or manipulate—the banks and investors. You’re just one more round of investment away from finally catching your breath. It’s a Nash Equilibrium: “If I go down, we all go down.” Once the bank, investors, and franchise owners are tied to the same rope, they must help you survive. This is when the “Network of Us” begins to clear the path for you.
Step 3: The Quantum Jump via ‘Label-Switching’
They enter online platforms and large retail networks, using the financial connections made in Step 2. Now, products are mass-produced in factories—Label-Switching. As long as the taste is a B+, the brand does the work. Unprofitable physical stores are closed, leaving only the “Showrooms” in prime districts. These flagship stores in hot spots aren’t operated to generate actual profit. Their purpose is to increase brand exposure and drive purchases through online platforms and franchise locations within local commercial districts. Margins make a Quantum Jump as labor and rent costs plummet. The public buys the product because of the brand recognition. Money is made in distribution, not in the store.
Step 4: Sweep Government Grants via “Global Expansion”
When a franchise calls itself a “Food Tech Startup” aiming for global markets, the government welcomes them with open arms. Officials need achievements to show off. Giving tax money to a “famous” company is safe for them—if it fails, it’s not their fault. They provide low-interest loans and deregulation.
While I cannot disclose the real name of the individual in this article, this is a true story of someone who started with a small shop, endured repeated failures, and sharpened their eye for spotting scammers before evolving into a franchise and brand owner. There is no exaggeration.
This is a dangerous path. It requires intellect, capital, and elite connections. It is not a path that an ordinary person can choose. This story I have been reporting on has been ongoing for 15 years. But Dopamine addicts who lack “floor experience” will get fleeced by scammers before they even reach Step 2. They don’t know the physiology of business.
(4) The Golden Leash: The Castrated Heirs
The core of wealth habitus is not the amount, but Control. Without it, you are just a slave with a bigger budget.
Scene 1: The Chaebol Son Who Can’t Drive
I met a friend, a son of a major conglomerate family, now a professor. We met at a cafe. I arrived on my motorcycle after eating a 2-dollar bowl of ramen. He was late because “the driver hadn’t arrived yet.”
What’s hilarious was our conversation: Max Weber’s Disenchantment and Protestantism. He was a genius at analyzing the world on paper.
But at 9 PM, his phone rang: “Yeah, Mom… I’m at a cafe with a friend… Yeah, I’ll be home soon.” This man is Survival Illiterate. He has never judged, moved, or taken responsibility for himself. Those who use money to remove all discomfort lose their sense of reality. He is the perfect prey for sharks.
Scene 2: The Rich Daughter Crying Over a Coworker
A wealthy daughter, hired through “nepotism,” was crying on the office rooftop because someone in another team was ignoring her. I said, “Just fight back or quit. You have plenty of money. What are you worried about?” She just shook her head and cried. “How could I do that…?”
It was the opposite of common sense. The one with nothing to lose was fearless. The one with everything had tears in her eyes. I realized then: A wild dog bites back when bitten. She was a Show Poodle. She lacked the emotional muscle to handle conflict or hate. Her desire not to disappoint her parents robbed her of the courage to fight.
Does money make us free? May be or May be not. I don’t know. But point is this. Sovereignty over your own life is the key. Those who believe they will die without money will never be free, even with $10 million in the bank, because they will bow to scammers and taxmen to protect it.
The True Habitus of Wealth is this:
- Breaking free from past success formulas.
- Understanding the “floor physiology” of business.
- Maintaining Sovereignty over your life.
Those who associate money with their parents’ expectations or their own “successful image” are consumed by it. Unless you have the courage to be irresponsible toward others’ expectations, you can never be free.
Nassim Taleb believed that having ‘F-k You Money’ is essential to reclaiming sovereignty and taking control of one’s life, and he wrote that one must endure the accompanying humiliations during the process. However, I believe that even with money, you cannot truly say ‘F-k You’ if you are still shackled by others’ expectations, past success formulas, and debt, or if you remain ignorant of the physiology of business. The key is not whether you have money right now, but whether you possess the full ‘sovereignty’ to control it. That is the true Habitus of wealth.
2. The Wealth Habitus: Dreamers Who Touched the Bottom
Let’s look at an example of a person with sovereignty. Who are the ones that never get consumed by money? I call them “The Dreamers of the Abyss.”
(1) Those Who Touched the Bottom: Nothing Left to Disappoint
Greenhouse flowers choose stable careers to meet their parents’ expectations. Because of that choice, they remain slaves to the gaze of others even after their parents are gone. They have more than enough, yet they live their lives chasing “more, more, more.” What they see in money is validation from others.
But those who have hit rock bottom are different. The ones who dropped out of college. The kids who got caught selling cigarettes in high school. The ones who frequented police stations. They broke their parents’ expectations early on. They are immune to the disappointment and judgment of others.
“So what? It’s my life.”
The moment this grit is born, no matter how much money they have, they are never consumed by it. They don’t have old success formulas; they have Wildness. Wildness is essential because it enables you to alertly seize opportunities that previously didn’t exist in the market. This is the very essence of entrepreneurship. Once they grasp the “floor physiology” of business, they are the ones who truly conquer wealth.
(2) The Dreamer: Eyes in the Sky, Feet on the Ground
Artists, unknown writers, rappers, and entrepreneurs who have failed multiple times. Even if they are delivering food on a motorcycle or hauling bricks at a construction site today, their eyes don’t lose their spark. To them, poverty is not the conclusion of their life—it’s just the pilot episode of the movie they are directing. They don’t think of themselves as delivery riders.
“I am an entrepreneur who will change the world—I am simply playing the role of a delivery rider to gather seed money.”
Those who can achieve this disassociation of self never crawl before money. While delivering today, they pick up inspiration for the content they will create tomorrow.
“Because I have a dream, I am not ashamed to be broke right now.”
That shameless wildness is the most powerful weapon that capitalism can never tame.
The critical point is that they do not consume the money earned from labor on ‘visible assets.’ The defining characteristic of these individuals is that they do not spend their earned income on ‘visible assets.’ Instead, they continuously reinvest in assets that are tax-free, immune to state seizure, and non-depreciating. They pay for software and invest in productivity tools to build intellectual property, content, personal brands, and internalized skills, while converting their surplus into hard money like Bitcoin. By investing in ‘capital goods’ that are free from taxes and inflation—and offer high compounding returns—they follow the path of roundabout production. Someone who reinvests their own equity without debt while accumulating intellectual assets and mastered skills is bound to find their niche market, even if it takes time.
Some of these dreamers will amass great wealth, while others will settle for modest survival in niche markets. But one thing is certain: none of them will be consumed by money. This is because they have cultivated a ‘Habitus of Wealth’ over a long journey, mastering the very physiology of the market with their own bodies from the ground up.
3. Conclusion
The “Habitus of Wealth” that prevents one from being consumed by money is not a matter of the balance in your account; it is a matter of sovereignty—the power to control your assets. This sovereignty stands on three fundamental pillars:
- Breaking Past Success Formulas: The decisive resolve to cut ties with “rotten ropes”—outdated strategies that no longer serve the present.
- Understanding Floor Physiology: The intelligence to internalize the “physiology of the floor”—the raw, practical mechanics of the market—through firsthand experience.
- Maintaining Sovereignty: The autonomy to direct and “operate” on one’s own life, regardless of the circumstances.
Regarding the third pillar, those who maintain sovereignty in their life management execute roundabout production while preserving a “wildness” that remains uncastrated by the state or societal expectations.
- Wildness: They are utterly indifferent to the “gaslighting” of others’ expectations. Instead, they leverage their primal instincts to learn the market’s physiology directly from the field.
- Internalizing Roundabout Production: Regardless of the nature of their income, they immediately convert labor earnings into capital goods (IP, skills) and hard money (Bitcoin). Rather than seeking immediate consumption, they silently walk the path of Roundabout Production, where output explodes exponentially over time.
While Pierre Bourdieu viewed “Habitus” as a social DNA inherited from one’s background, I believe it can be redesigned through personal resolve. The real issue is the decision to throw oneself out of the “worker’s mindset and consumerist world” and into the “capitalist mindset and productive world.”
Money is inherently entropic. Just as unmanaged energy dissipates into disorder, wealth is designed to scatter if it lacks a governing process. Without a structure to continuously reinvest profits, assets will infinitely depreciate through inflation, taxes, fraudsters, and one’s own vanity. Therefore, you must understand the rules of the space where money flows and build the profit-generating process yourself. That process is your moat.
Nassim Taleb became a true sovereign not simply because of the digits in his bank account. He is a sovereign because he uses the confidence those numbers provide to live the life of a Producer—writing, lecturing, and relentlessly creating new value. The dream of earning money just to “show off and play” is the dream of a slave. A true sovereign earns money to produce something greater.
4. Other Articles
- Money Dysmorphia (Part 1): Working Hard to Stay Broke — The Death of Economic Leverage
- Money Dysmorphia (Part 2): The Collapse of Social Leverage — The Death of Individual Competence
- Money Dysmorphia (Part 3): The Real Reason You Always Feel Poor—Joseph Campbell and the Hero’s Journey Scam
- Money Dysmorphia (Part 4): Why the 2030 Generation is Escaping the State’s Matrix
- Money Dysmorphia (Part 5): Recovering Personal Sovereignty through Bricolage
- Money Dysmorphia (Part 6): Why Bitcoin is the Only Time Leverage for the 2030 Generation
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