“The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.” Socrates
Maybe I am the only person who have had the experience I am about to share.
I felt like I was losing my mind. Everything was caving in on me.
I looked around the apartment, and I saw all these stuff.
I wasn’t happy, but I had things. People looking in from the outside would have thought I have arrived. But I looking out felt like I was drowning.
It was only 2 of us, and yet still I had this fully furnished 3 bedroom apartment filled with material STUFF!
- Illustration by Robert Casilla
I am not sure who sent out the memo to the whole world, telling us that the more we had, is happier we would be.
I was living a lie and it was time to face the truth.
I didn’t need all this STUFF!
I called the salvation army and gave away most of the STUFF!
Really nice STUFF!
I down graded my 3 bedroom apartment to a 2 bedroom. The strange thing though was, I found myself cry when I decided to do so.
Somewhere in my mind, I began to feel less than because I was getting rid of all the excess STUFF. The things that I have used to define me and my self worth!
Some people might think it is difficult to enjoy less.
This is however is not the case.Once I began to adapt a new mindset, I realized that less was indeed MORE!
Today I feel lighter. Less cluttered in my thinking.
I don’t have all the STUFF to manage anymore, which has given me the freedom to really see and enjoy life.
I don’t use a credit cards. I spend what I have in the bank.
I don’t eat out as much.
I spend more time reading than watching t.v.
I only go to the mall if I really have to.
When you focus on enjoying less, you focus on full enjoyment. You learn to be content with little, and when you do that, a life of happiness is at your disposal. The only limit to your happiness, then, is how much you can learn to enjoy less.
What are you willing to sacrifice, in order to enjoy more of life?