The More You Have


“The more you have, the more you are occupied, the less you give. But the less you have, the more free you are.” ~ Mother Teresa

We can become prisoners to our possessions. At the same time, freedom can lure us from responsibilities. There is a tension between ownership and freedom, a constant pull from each side. The more things you have, the less selfless acts you have to give. It’s not even about balance. It’s not an equation. Instead, it is a constant tug-of-war, and both sides demand sacrifices. If you are passionately pursuing ownership of something, a house, a boat, a motorcycle, a hot tub, you cannot be entirely available to others who need you. Tension and sacrifice.

So here’s the thing, if buying all this stuff still has not made you happy, then maybe getting rid of it will. The less you have, the more freedom you have. Because the mindset of more we have the more we want is real. When we satisfy one want, we become aware of other areas of lack and desire. It creates that vicious cycle of tension.

The term is hedonic adaptation. The premise of this phenomenon is that no matter how awesome we feel when we attain a possession, promotion, or new relationship, eventually our emotions drift back to where we started - to baseline. So when we establish happiness with our newness, we have also shifted to a new normal, a new standard that must not only be maintained but elevated. We fool ourselves when we think this euphoric feeling will last, as though we’ve found the key to happiness. When the newness wears off, and it will, we return baseline and eventually over time we become miserable. So how do we jump off this hedonic treadmill? Gratitude and variety.

Exercise:
Gratitude - Be grateful for all that you have in its current state. Do not take things for granted. Keep a daily Gratitude Journal. Enlist a gratitude accountability partner. Thinking graciously is a paradigm shift.

Variety - Make the old new again. Rearrange your furniture. Listen to different music. Try an unusual recipe. Make subtle changes in your routines. Create space for some spontaneity. Go skinny dipping. Did that get your attention? That’s what variety does.

Ponder this:
Am I making the most of what I have right now?

My Life’s Lesson: Less is more. I do not have to do or be something dramatic to lead an interesting and exciting life. It’s the little shifts in thinking that create a fun and adventurous lifestyle. 

From the sweetest spot in my heart to yours, may your week be full of content with all that you have.
~Audrey 

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