The current economic downturn and two friends trying to get a new company off the ground have recently caused me to think more deeply about purchases, needs, wants, and their impact. Obviously the current economy has caused many organizations and individuals to rethink what they are purchasing and what they will use their existing resources for.
As a society we may have slipped into thinking that happiness comes through acquisition of toys of one form or another. We work hard to convince ourselves that we “need” that new thing and even form elaborate arguments to make sure our supervisors or spouses believe we need what we want and that we are getting a great deal and value.
While trying to get a company going, the founders often go without many things including paychecks. My two friends are no exception, and while this seems hard they have both made comments to me that go something like this, “we are getting by with less, our families are buying less, eating out less, having simple vacations, and participating in fewer activities, but we are happy and perhaps happier then ever”. As I contemplated these comments and looked around at all of the things I have acquired, I realized what they were saying. That sailboat I built is cool, but I have to register it each year, make sure its covered in the winter, maintain the trailer, the sail, put the registration sticker on each year, etc. That iPod I purchased to listen to digital books to be more efficient takes me away from the funny things my 3 year old has to say to me. That big beautiful TV we bought causes us to believe we have to use it to get value from it; this is time I can’t do much work, can’t communicate with the family, etc. In summary, everything we acquire requires our time ever after until we dispose of it. Is it worth it? In some cases yes, but we should expend more time evaluating before acquiring. A simple life can be enjoyable and fulfilling!
Now with that said we should buy what we need and just as importantly need what we buy. In other words, if we really need something we should expend the funds to acquire it, but only if we truly need it. This simple practice will accomplish two things. We will waste less money or other resource, but perhaps equally important we will not be burdened by that “thing” consuming our time that could be spent more productively.
Now did I really need this blog?
Tags: integrity, prefessionalism, values
Good thing your blog is just cheap electronic pulses and magnetic bits!
You may not need it, but my life is a bit better for seeing your post. Thanks.
So, so true. The ability to distinguish between “needs versus wants” for most of us is fuzzy at best. Interestingly I first internalized this concept in a course at BYU called “work and relationships in the home.” Since that course I always ask myself if the additional resources I’m going to expend to maintain (or even enjoy) the purchase are worth it. Some of us buy so many things that our homes can’t easily accommodate them and our physical surroundings take a beating and severely deplete the peaceful, contented feeling that should be found there. It’s a vicious cycle. As you point out, true joy cannot be bought.
Do you need this blog? Only if you care about sharing thoughts and reaching out to others.
Do you really need Yammer? Well, I wouldn’t have found this blog post without it. Thanks!
One other reason to reduce your wants and needs is to have more resources to help others. That is a better category for this blog and some of the other, complicating activities we pursue (ie. church activity).
I would also like to point out that all our possessions and responsibilities are interconnected. Simplifying in any area of life relieves pressure everywhere, to some extent. Most of us have low-hanging fruit to harvest, things to give away or sell, activities or commitments to end, with minimal pain, and maximum benefit.
And finally, I want to point out that we often push off (”delegate”) responsibility for maintaining frivolous things or activities that really shouldn’t exist at all. Then we forget about them while they silently weight us down, tire us out, and reduce our effectiveness as a whole. As leaders find and remove these forgotten excesses, the entire organization will benefit, just as individuals and families will.
Here are three quotes that we frequently share in our family that seem relevant.
“It’s not having what you want, it’s wanting what you’ve got.” Soak up the Sun by Sheryl Crow
“You don’t own things, things own you.”
“If there isn’t a place for everything, then we have too much stuff. One measure of this is our garage. If we can’t park our cars in our garage because of stuff, then we have too much stuff.”