Living a life of contentment seems so impossible, we always want something more, as economics of life states that, wants are limitless, how do we cut our coat according to the cloth?
Being happy with what we have is a virtue that a few possess, here are my tips to that sublime state.
Reflecting on our past - Past is a vital clog in our life, not forgetting where we have come from, and where we are now, makes a ton of difference always appreciating what we have today, how did we get there? the sacrifices that we have made to be there, the hard work that has helped us be where we are. These thoughts will help us to be content with what we have in a small way in our present scenario.
Reflecting on our surroundings - As we live our lives, as we get comfortable, we automatically forget the people around us, and the circumstances that they live or have, how often are we thankful for our bodily gifts, how often do we remember the less fortunate among us, reflecting on the have-nots in comparison to us, will again in a small way help us.
Planning and questioning - Adequate planning curtails unnecessary spending, listing out the things that we need in our daily life, and then weeding out the things that we don't want is a prime example to curtail our spending. Organisation makes our life easier, cheaper and simpler. Questioning yourself if we really need the things we buy, really need the many things we splurge on, Is there a more cost effective way to do the same, etc. Questioning brings awareness, for it is similar to looking before you leap. How many times have we purchased something we don't need and never used it? How many times do we pay for things that don't actually help our day? and crib and brood over it. Careful spending leads to less spending which leads to happier spending. Careless spending leads to more spending which leads to unhappier spending.
Appreciating what we have - Advertisers have a knack for making us want what we don't really need, we always want the next big car, the next big video game, the latest shoe, the next biggest bling, which is relative to us, and as soon as we get whatever we want, whether it is a car or a game, etc, we soon grow tired and bored of that thing, and we want the next biggest thing, appreciating what we have, remembering why you bought it and treasuring it will go a long way in curtailing our wants. Just because you can, is no reason you should. I remember a friend of mine, and his habit of changing his mobile phones as you would change clothes, and all these mobiles that he would trade in for a newer mobiles, would always have depreciated from the time he bought them, and the newer mobiles would always be costlier than the last, the features on latest models would not even be relevant in his line of work, and as these mobiles are always bought on some equated monthly installment or scheme, he would always be in debt. Let us learn to like what we have before we want something we do not have.
Always comparing our needs to our wants - This is essential in our spending being wise. Do we always wonder if the things we buy are the things we want or need, is it essential to our lives or do we simply crave for them, because of the status attached to them?, or because it is the next big thing?, or because you colleague at work or your boss or your friends have them?, or because you are avoiding dealing with the real issues in your mind and spending because it makes you feel better?
always weighing our wants against our needs, helps us to decide and curb our spending.
Living without debt - In this age of credit cards, spending is almost inevitable, it seems so easy to swipe your card for everything, but do we realise that credit cards always encourage us to spend what we don't have, and when we spend what we don't have, then we are always slaves to debt. Let us not have many credit cards, let us make a decision to spend what we have and not spend what we don't have or spend what we are going to have, for life without debt is an happier life. Credit card is only one such example, it can be anything like a loan etc,. Let us treat Debt as a bad thing, and the further we keep it from our lives, the better it is for our lives and those around us.
Sharing whatever we have - I am not saying that we should give our salaries to the unfortunate, but simply saying to give whatever small contribution to we can to the less fortunate among us, believe me, there is no greater joy on this planet, than making people smile or spreading joy among others.
I believe that thinking about these points stated above, in a small way will help you in cutting the coat according to the cloth and not vise versa, these are my thoughts, please let me know your thoughts through your comments.
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