I personally sometimes wonder about this and actually hope that more and more people realize that. In any case, our culture of grabbing has its impact when it comes to the economy as it is currently structured. We want more and more and demand more and more from ourselves and our environment. That’s going to go wrong!
Enough is enough
But when is it enough? We have a consumer society and everything is possible as long as we pay for it. In addition, everything is commercially well promoted and the seduction process has begun. But of course you have to pay for all those beautiful and tasty things, so we need money, preferably a lot. Working more hours, both partners (despite young children)
working full time and possibly doing work that pays the bill but where the passion does not lie.
Freedom and independence
That money stands for freedom and independence is actually separate from making a lot of money. You can also reverse the process and calculate what you need to live normally. But what is normal life?
Normal life
Normal life is a broad concept, but assuming that you can provide for your own livelihood is the basis. This means that you must be able to pay your rent or mortgage, your other fixed costs, be able to pay for your groceries to live on and be able to clothe yourself. Assuming a healthy diet and sufficient well-fitting and protective clothing.
Temptations
If you think about this carefully, this total amount is usually lower than in practice. Because the practice is full of temptations and that is what makes it so difficult. While shopping, treats are advertised. While shopping for the necessary clothing, all kinds of things are recommended that we don’t actually need but are nice and when we get a deodorant at the drugstore, the new lipstick is also very nice.
Enjoy extras
But if you manage to arrive at a good basic amount, it is also much more fun to enjoy extras. Whatever extras. The freedom you create by having your basic costs covered can mean much more than that extra expensive coat, vacation or new car. To achieve this you just have to let go of pure materialism and that is often where the problem lies.
Materialism
Materialism has crept in and is inherent to democracy, because the sky is the limit and the US, for example, has derived its basis from that. After all, the American dream is based on that. Moreover, if you can pay everything, your limit is often automatically advanced. What else do you really enjoy?
Your inner self
For some it’s a lot of soft talk and for others it’s the essence of what it’s all about. Because self-esteem, but also your own personal development, really lies with yourself. From within yourself and that can be quite confrontational. The advantage is that it costs no money and can be a lot of fun. The disadvantage is that buying all the time keeps you happy and satisfied and going back to the core can be painful.
How do you do that?
- Start by identifying your basic costs. What do you really need to live on? That can sometimes be an eye-opener.
- Then ask yourself what makes you smile and what makes you sad. So what affects you?
- Also ask yourself if you are jealous and if so, what can make you feel jealous?
- What can make you feel hurt?
Questions that say something about your person. Analyze it carefully and then look for the positives within yourself. What makes friends your friends and if you don’t know it yourself, just ask them. This often provides additional insight into this process.
In addition, going through this process with a few people can also help. Encouraging and supporting each other simply works well.
How to arrive at ‘enough is enough’
If you know your life values, you also know what you need to live a good life and what to enjoy extra. It helps you resist the temptations of consumer society and only do that extra that actually makes you happy. Moreover, you may also be able to keep more money in your pocket to do something with it in a different way. Or you can work fewer hours in order to enjoy that freedom (and that doesn’t have to involve buying something).
Also good for the workaholic, because no matter how much you enjoy your work, balance in your life is important for yourself and those around you. People often only find out once that step has been taken and withdrawal has been achieved.
If you cannot get through this process or you cannot resist the temptation, then you may not be ready for it yet and you may have to give it another chance in a while.