An old favorite post of mine from a previous blog, this really was a wonderful reminder to me as I left for vacation this week. I hope you enjoy…
If you’re anything like me, you spend much of your days wishing for more. If I could just have another couple hundred dollars in my paycheck to cover baby expenses, I’d be set, I tell myself.
A few hundred dollars more and I could afford a nice vacation each year, maybe to exotic beaches and fantastic lands.
My home is nice, but a bigger one would be better, right? More room for the kids to run around and less bumping into each other or tripping over stuff.
We want more. That’s why we set goals, why we rarely enjoy the things we have, the accomplishments we have made. We always have our eye on something more.
You will never have enough…
I won’t pretend to know who you are, those of you who are reading this. Chances are you have your own great challenges that I can only imagine, just as I, as blessed as I am, have my own challenges and tests of character. I type these words hoping that we have a mutual understanding and respect.
I can make a basic assumption about you, that if you have the means and the opportunity to read this online, your basic needs are taken care of. You have clothing (though you may not be wearing it at the moment). You have shelter, possibly modest, but none the less sufficient to keep you safe from the elements. You are adequately fed to the degree that you choose.
You obviously have access to a computer, whether it be a public one from the library or one of your own.
You may feel like you have no one who loves you in the world but they are there, somewhere, I assure you.
You Have Everything You Need…
Please don’t think that I preach against coveting and goal setting. A big part of what makes life special is setting goals and striving. I have little patience for bloggers who advocate a life of navel-gazing and doing less…way less.
It’s a matter of finding “enough.” And that concept of enough is a personal quest. No blogger can determine this for you. That’s why keeping up with the Joneses is such a foolish endeavor. Learn to think for yourself and make your own decisions.
It’s terrific to find inspiration from others, but don’t covet what your neighbor has. The better that you can define your level of contentment, the easier it will be to bring that to fruition.
A blog post isn’t going to tell you what you want. Like each of these levels, it is deeply personal and if you can habitually unplug from external stimuli, and really explore the question of “What do I want to create in my life?” only then will you truly be able to craft an authentic life.
I feel like I am waking up a bit (finally!) and have begun to quite publicly, on this blog, question my previous actions, create a new future, and enjoy a bit of what is happening now. When you realize that you are empowered to do this, it doesn’t matter as much what is going on with the economy or what the Joneses have down the street that you don’t.
Hopefully this sparks those of you who need it to do the same.
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Like what you’ve read? Check out my eBook, You, Simplified – Handbook for A Simpler Life. 50% of the sale goes to environmental organizations.
For those interested in poetry, you can purchase my new collection here: Foundations
