What Makes Us Happy?
We all want to be happy. But how, exactly, do you go about it? More stuff or less? More choice or less?
Most people find happiness in family connections and relationships with others. We don’t live in a vacuum or a vortex. We live in a world with living breathing people interacting with one another hundreds of times each day- even when we don’t realize it, we are connecting; by phone, in the store, on the web, we text, talk, and exchange information seemingly without end.
Striving for success in career and finances, we look for meaning in what we do and what we accumulate. Stuff and more stuff. Bigger better and more of it. Keeping up with the Jones’, consciously or unconsciously, many of us are caught in the web of more.
Living in a world of consumption. We are consumed with consumerism – constantly buying and buying – to the point where we run out of space in our homes for everything we buy. We are transfixed when we see a store that has “BLOWOUT SALE!” written in its window. We swipe and swipe until our cards are worn out. We compete with friends and family to see who can buy the shinier and fancier product first.
For what? For stuff.Stuff which next year will be stacked on tables for the annual neighborhood garage sale.
When hubs and I celebrated 25 years of marriage we had the privilege of visiting the beautiful island of Kauai. Several nights before we left on our trip we discovered one of our suitcases had a broken zipper. To the local mall, we went to buy “a suitcase”.
- We were offered a 10% discount on our purchase if we applied for a store credit card (at a store we seldom shopped at.. unless we were buying suitcases that is)
- We accepted the “generous” offer of a discount and the new credit card.
- We came home with a WHOLE SET of suitcases… because they were such a great deal and we could not resist our good fortune.
Before leaving – we not only packed the suitcase we needed.. we packed all of them …five of them- because we had them, and we could. (this was when airlines still allowed you to take luggage on the plane without cost)
We took things we would not use, thousands of miles, in suitcases we didn’t need and now had a credit card we would never use. When we returned from our two weeks in paradise we would then need to take the time to close our unwanted account.
Today we chuckle at how ridiculous we looked with our large cart of matching brown suitcases piled high as we made our way to and from the airport.
Oh my.. how we have changed! Today, we travel with one suitcase and have yet to be found wanting for much regardless of where we are.
Stuff does not make us happy. Instead, it is the purposeful, intentional choice to value precious individuals whom God places in our lives each day.. some for a lifetime, some for a brief moment.
How can you begin the process to live with greater intention?
I have included a few steps which hubs and I have begun to implement in our lives… some have been in place for a bit, and others are still a work in process!
- Avoid shopping for a season unless it is necessary. Malls are designed to make us buy things and window displays are meant to lure us in.
- When you get something, give something. It is so easy to forget how much stuff we have piled in our homes. It is only when you move or travel that this realization comes. When you buy something, find something to give away!
- Ask yourself, do I really need it.. most of the time the answer is no.
- Keep it simple. We’ve all seen those poor souls at the airports struggling to carry too much luggage. Don’t be one of them.
- Go to a developing country or serve your local community. See how the vast majority of humanity lives. Even those who have little, have more than most of the world.
- Simplify where you can… be aware of what you have and what you don’t need.
- Count your blessings. Literally. Reflect on what you have, and how much God has given you.
- Try not to be wasteful Reuse and recycle when possible.
- New is not always the best. Think vintage!
- Ask God to make you content with what you have. Real treasure sits next to you at the dinner table. Notice them and savor their presence.
Be mindful – your life is far too precious to spend chasing stuff. Find more joy by choosing to pursue better… rather than more.
I would love to hear from you..
- How do you and your family simplify life and focus on what matters?
- What do you find is the toughest area to minimize?
Blessings-
I have found that I accumulate craft items…such as scrapbooking, quilting, and stamping. I have accumulated books since I could read. On a regular basis, I purge my stuff. Give away, sell, or throw away. I sold most of my stamps, for nearly the price that I paid. I still continue with quilting and scrapbooking in part because I meet with a different group of ladies each month involved with those activities. I am not very good at either activity, but it’s the fellowship. My husband values the scrapbooking because of what it means to our family. As more old, old pictures come into our possession due to the changes in the lives of our older relatives, the value of scrapbooking with journaling becomes more evident.
As we consider the next steps in our lives, we are thinking about downsizing to a smaller house. We have a four bedroom older home in urban Wyoming. We don’t need such a big house, now that our children are in the process of leaving the nest. So that will force more reduction in our possessions.
Ann-
Yes… moving will do that to you.. we sold our home and downsized tremendously. Part of it was freeing.. the other part a little traumatic ! 🙂 It amazes me how much stuff I still own.
Blessings friend-
Nanc
This is so good. We recently had an open house for a graduating child. The upstairs in the barn was stuffed so we could us the bottom floor for festivities. We need to glean and give for sure. So much to think about and put in motion. Simple has been our goal for a while thanks to Barbara my wife. When one has as many peeps living under this roof we have to glean and give or we might end up on one of those reality shows. 🙂
Jerry- I can picture the barn.. and its overflowing upstairs. When we moved two years ago and liquidated our home of 20+years.. it was amazing how much stuff we had. I look at where we live now- and at times it still feels like too much.
A work in progress … small tiny steps begin the process!
Blessings-
Nancy