It's no secret that we live in a consumerist society, and never is that fact more apparent than during the holiday season. There's so much stuff out there for us to acquire—more stuff than has ever been available at any other point in human history.
And a lot of it is marketed by very smart folks who understand that we're more likely to buy that stuff if we believe it will make our lives more something: more interesting, more rewarding, more exciting—even more efficient. It seems like part of human nature to want to keep pushing for "more," even to the point of having too much.
Gratitude can help keep that drive to acquire in balance. When we take a little time to say "thank you" for what we have, we also have a chance to get a good look at what we have. And that can help us recalibrate our desire for more.
Sometimes we might realize that we have plenty of stuff, that in fact we're surrounded by stuff that we lost sight of in that push for "more." Sometimes we realize that the stuff we've gotten while we were in the grips of "more" fever hasn't actually delivered what it promised more of, and that maybe what we're looking for can't be found in stuff anyway.
When the zeal to acquire something seizes you, see if you can't take a minute or two to think about what you already have, breathe deeply and feel a sense of gratitude for your current possessions. You might find that the zeal has diminished and you're okay with what you already have.
What experiences have you had with acquiring stuff in the name of having "more"? Have you ever taken the time to do a quick gratitude check to see if you truly need something? Let me know in the comments!
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