Ever shopped at Target for one thing and ended up leaving with three bags of crap you don’t need? Welcome to the trap of materialism—where we make ourselves think that happiness arrives in a cardboard box with express shipping.
In our consumer culture today, the temptation of shiny new things usually dulls the simple pleasures in life. Ads surround us at every corner. Each one is cleverly crafted to instill a sense of ‘necessity.’ Everything leads us to believe that getting more will somehow complete the emptiness within.
The difficult thing to digest here is that regardless of how many gizmos, designer outfits, or high-end coffee makers we accumulate, the happiness is only temporary. This temporary happiness typically only lasts until the next huge sale comes along and catches our attention, or we scroll through the newest must-haves on social media.
Research indicates that individuals who emphasize experiences over material goods are actually more satisfied. Experiences like visiting new destinations, laughing with friends at dinner, or learning to appreciate nature tend to bring sustained satisfaction. At the end of the day, memories don’t fill your home (or your wallet), and they don’t lose their intensity over time; rather, they become richer to revisit each time.
If you’re fed up with the never-ending cycle of shopping, using, forgetting, and doing it all again, Kurt Gassner’s book, “Let Go: Rewire Your Subconscious Mind with Hypnosis and Cure Material Addiction — Real Life Stories” gets to the bottom of why we desire things—and how to change our priorities to what really matters. It gets very deep into the psychology of materialism, exploring how advertising strategies take advantage of our insecurities and wishes. The wisdom presented can assist you in breaking free from consumerism chains and promote a way towards mindfulness.
Secondly, we must also attempt to identify the effect of our shopping on the environment. The continuous consumption and production loop creates a significant waste issue. Reducing our material footprints not only helps our psychological well-being but also the sustainability of the planet. When we opt to consume less, we open up both physical and psychological space for greater goals.
As Tyler Durden so effortlessly put it, “The things you own end up owning you.” Perhaps we should own fewer things and enjoy more. Conceive living a life that values relationships, savors memories, and takes pleasure in uncluttered simplicity instead of in accumulation. It’s one worth embarking on, an existence that brings richer satisfaction beyond the mere surface-level elation of going on a spree.
