As a sales assistant for a major department store, I feel a little guilt for what I'm about to write.
Not because I want everyone to shop where I work so that the CEO can keep his millions, but because without these shoppers, I wouldn't have a job.
And without the free market and innovations that companies provide, along with the short lasting pleasure and convenience enhancing impact of a new purchase, very few people would have jobs at all.
Not everyone can make money blogging their thoughts (I don't).
But huge department stores create merchandisers, sales advisers, customer services, designers, deliverers, managers, maintenance workers and builders. And much more besides.
Without the constant buying of largely unnecessary material possessions and spare possessions and replacements for broken possessions, we'd struggle to make a wage, which means we'd struggle to live.
However, simultaneously with working in retail and seeing items that I want to buy for 30 hours every week, I have been reducing the amount of things I own.
I only have three t shirts, and I'll probably never own more. I'm considering reducing to two, but I love these three so much.
And that's the point. It's not that we can't love material possessions. But we should only own the stuff that really brings us joy.
I never wanted to become a minimalist. It felt like downsizing for the sake of it. Instead, I just decided to get rid of the things that don't really serve me and only keep the things I really couldn't bear to live without and see what's left.
As it turns out, I donated, threw out or sold around about 80% of my possessions and now feel like I have more space and freedom than ever. And furthermore, I don't miss a thing.
Even if I did miss something, that pain is easily outweighed by the freedom I've gained and the knowledge that things can always be re-bought.
No one likes a preacher, but the fact is I wasn't in a competition to see how few things I could live with. I was just seeing what made me the happiest. Preach.
But what surprised me the most is how my mindset has changed. Now I almost never buy things. Beyond consumables like food and toiletries, I only ever purchase something if I can be absolutely sure it will add value to my life or is an upgrade on something I currently have and can replace it.
So where have I put this extra money? I just spent a decent amount on a holiday to Berlin and a motorbike.
Berlin is a city I've visited a few times and really fell in love with, but it's been four years since my last trip. Motorbikes are just awesome and I've wanted one for a long time.
I couldn't have afforded this if I'd spent all my money on clothes and gadgets. I still order a lot of pizza and drink a lot of beer. I don't want life to be boring.
The point is that I've really invested time in considering what truly makes me happy. This means long term investments and experiences, including travel, rather than small cheap items that just add clutter.
The question is: if we all put our money where our hearts are, where would all the jobs go? And how would we afford the experiences that bring us joy?
No comments:
Post a Comment