‘Tis the season of gifting and asking for more. But what if we asked for more in a different way?
Asking for more leads to stuff
Normally, when we ask for something it’s in the form of materialism. We want the latest technology, the newest trends or whatever shiny new object is projected all around us.
We live in a world where media and advertising are always in our face. It lives on our TV, on our phone, in the magazine sitting on our ottoman. You name it, someone else’s agenda with your money surrounds you at all times.
I recently watched the documentary “Minimalism” on Netflix which covers this exact topic. It notes consumers started spending an astronomical more amount of money on “stuff” in the 1990’s.
Why? Who knows. I’m a millennial and can tell you spending money has been a big
part of my life. It actually became the biggest part in driving my decisions for many years.
We’ve created a culture where accumulating more somehow defines our value and worth to others. But what about ourselves?
The danger in asking for more of the wrong things
This has created a dangerous society where keeping up with the Joneses is the norm to strive for.
If you haven’t heard this phrase, “keeping up with the Joneses,” it’s where someone spends a lot of money on their appearance to appear well off.
Making six figures (plus) at a young age is now the target for so many. Why? Because it gives people the power to purchase more. But do we really understand WHY we want to make a lot of money?
The purchasing trend has created a monster inside of us that’s always telling us to purchase more.
We get a high every time we acquire new stuff. That high wears off and then we go on the hunt to purchase more again.
In my own personal experience, I accumulated a bunch of stuff in my 20’s I ultimately ended up purging every time I moved. Money down the drain!
The need to keep up with the Joneses has led to many people not being able to fulfill financial obligations. Or put off dreams of buying a house because they are so far in debt saving up is impossible.
The game it plays with your mind
Unfortunately, you’ll never be fully satisfied when you’re on a purchasing path to destruction. While money is necessary to survive, it is not the end all be all in our lives.
When you ask for more, whether you’re asking yourself or someone else, you create a habit of believing you NEED more stuff. You will never be at a place where you say “ok, I’m done, I have all I need.”
It’s hard enough to not want more stuff all the time with easy access to shop from the comfort of our own homes. We don’t even need to leave the house!
In the end you’ll find yourself so far in debt you’re miserable or you’ll have to work more, which leads to burnout. Either way, it’s a dangerous game to play.
But what if we asked for more in
a different way?
What if instead of asking for more stuff we ask for more experiences? What if we asked for more time with family or friends? What if we asked for more time with ourselves?
Asking for more doesn’t have to create more junk in your storage space. It creates more experiences, memories and love. It creates deeper relationships with those important to us. It creates deeper relationships with ourselves.
Asking for more experiences and time with loved ones (including yourself) over materialistic things leads to greater happiness overall.
Our physical and mental space has less clutter and more mindfulness. It gives us room to breathe and appreciate those around us.
Asking for more in a different way encourages us to explore the world around us in ways we never have before.
Personally, when I was shopping all the time (and still occasionally to this day), I find myself getting anxious. I would get anxious over the false belief that I NEEDED something instantly. That it would bring me happiness.
Wrong. While I do love spending money on things that make my home feel like a cozy oasis, I understand it’s the people that live in my home, including myself, that make it cozy.
Summary
This holiday season, consider asking for more in a different way. Ask for more time with someone. Ask for time off work so you can get outdoors and explore Mother Nature. Ask for more time to yourself to be alone with your thoughts and appreciate the incredible human you are.
Are you feeling stuck? Let me help you. You are not alone. Let’s create a plan together to remove barriers in your life and get you unstuck and into the life you were made to live. Connect with me to start taking action and changing your life today!
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