“The person we believe ourselves to be will always act in a manner consistent with our self-image.”
-Brian Tracy.
I couldn’t write this unless I practiced what I preached. As a recovering shopaholic and a recovering stroke victim I’ve learned by the most difficult way possible, the value of things. Whereas before(the stroke) I was shortsighted and indulged in instant gratification, I do no longer. Because, in the broad view of life material objects only offer short term happiness and pale in comparison to the achievement of your dreams and goals. These days I find more fulfillment in taking steps towards my goals rather than a shopping spree. Not to mention, seeing that money in the bank rather than collecting in the number of objects around you, is far better. A bad habit or overindulgence is indicative of a missing piece inside you. While I am not complete, I’ve realized that too much shopping is a form of self defeat. Perhaps it’s a self image thing, boredom, or just a ” girl thing,” but I certainly don’t want it to be my thing! It’s helpful to push that pile of stuff out of the way from blocking your goals. Not only that but our society of mass consumption has blinded us from the fact that all those material objects are mostly unnecessary. I shudder when I think of shopping malls filled to the brim with stuff. Where does it all go? Either into landfills(the Earth is getting sick of our trash), your basement, a spare room, or when you move you’ll get the pleasure of lugging exorbitant amounts of personal belongings into a truck. Did I mention that you have to pay for it all? Never mind all the things you could’ve done with those funds instead. The memories We create together are priceless, your designer handbag is not. As a matter of fact, if you ever try to resell it you won’t receive your money back, and more than likely it was manufactured in Indonesia. Perhaps I’m being too harsh. However, wasting your precious time and money is worse! The more this revelation becomes clear, I move closer to becoming a minimalist. I’m more interested in life experiences,good memories, and achieving my goals than shopping. While I’ll admit I still enjoy it, but I enjoy saving money even more now. Like Mr. T(see here) I pity the fool who pays full price for anything. Just like empty calories don’t fill you, and can cause obesity, so does shopping too much. When you begin to feed on material that nourishes your soul, you’ll feel more satisfied and the only thing that will become obese is your bank account!
and with that I challenge you not to shop for 30 days,
