The day after Thanksgiving has become known as “Black Friday” the day of early bird sales, long lines and frantic greed. When is the last year you recall someone not getting trampled to death, beaten or in a fight over a sale item during this crazed weekend? How does one go from being thankful for the good in their life to trampling over a fellow human in order to buy that flat screen TV for $299? When will Americans realize happiness doesn’t come from owning things?
Research has shown that once people buy a much coveted item, the adrenaline rush stops and they require a new thing to seek out in order to reclaim another rush. It’s a never-ending spiral into an abyss of overindulgence. Once hooked, it’s hard to discern a life without “my stuff”.
I can tell you through my own experience that stuff is not going to make you happier, more fulfilled or more complete. You have to learn to live with less, and most people don’t do this until they are forced to. For me, I've been forced by a move from a house to a very small condo, back to a house, then an apartment, to an even smaller apartment and then into a condo. It’s easy to see the extra “stuff” one carries through life that isn’t necessary, once you let stuff go.
We also accumulate psychological and emotional "stuff" from our childhood, our young adulthood and throughout life, but we’re never taught how to de-clutter our minds in order to let some of our old stuff go. This can leave some people feeling like they’re not really being themselves, harboring unnecessary resentment, or they wake up to find that they’re not dong what they want to be doing. Everyone needs a little life de-cluttering outside of the physical stuff you keep in your home. If you find you’re not letting go of stuff in life, and could use some reorganizing, a nudge can get you started in the right direction.
No comments:
Post a Comment