Monday’s Myth – More Stuff Will Make Me Happy

I wish I had a …

If only I had a …

When can we get a …

Once I have enough money for that … I’ll be happy.

Living with the idea that having more stuff will make us happier is a myth.

photo © 2007 Melissa Doroquez | more info (via: Wylio)
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Yes, I’ll be the first to admit … it’s nice to have things. And some things are necessary … like a house, food and warm clothes (especially in the PA winters) And I’m grateful to have some things that aren’t a necessity, but are nice to have … like comfortable furniture, books, a bike, a new pillow (that’s helped my neck/shoulder pain) and gadgets that make life easier.

But too often we have a hard time knowing when enough is enough … when drawers and closets are too full … when book shelfs sag … when food expires before we use it … when it takes hours to dust our collections … when we need to build on to our houses to contain our stuff … when we need to buy or rent a storage shed to store stuff …

Newsflash: Those are signs of having too much stuff!

More stuff will not make you happy. Not that simplifying, decluttering and living with less automatically means you’ll be happier, but chances are it will help. When I began asking my “will this make me happy?” question … is when I realized I didn’t need near as much junk stuff.

One big tip for simplifying is … do NOT try to do simplify all areas of your life at once. You’ll get frustrated and give up. Pick one area that is driving you crazy … maybe clothes, toys, knick-knacks, shoes or gadgets.

1. Put a buying freeze on that area.
2. Monitor how often you use what you have.
3. If you don’t use/wear something in a few months … get rid of it.
4. Give, sell or throw! (these three words are your friends)

What area of your life comes to mind? What small steps can you take today to begin simplifying it?

For more inspiration and tips on simplifying life, check out some posts on Be More With Less: Life on Purpose.

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