I remember reading an article in the newspaper about a person who lost everything he had and for the first time in his life became truly happy and free. At the time I thought this couldn’t be true because I wrongly assumed that material things bring happiness. Now I know that material things do not influence the happiness you feel, no matter how many nice things you have.
In the past I used to go shopping all the time. I used to spend more than I earned but no matter how many new things I bought, after a fleeting bliss, I was just as miserable as ever, or even more miserable. I couldn’t understand why I felt this way. After all, it had all these new and exciting things. material things are supposed to make people happy, right?
Not at all. The habit of buying material goods to lift your spirits is just an addiction, and like any other addiction, it has a negative impact on you.
You can easily tell what level of consciousness the person is at by asking them what makes them happy. Or better yet, just ask what they value more: things or experiences. People who have a low level of consciousness will undoubtedly choose material possessions because they still think that things make them feel happy.
Most people seek happiness all their lives without finding it, because all their effort is directed outside of themselves, towards the world of illusions. If you look for the answers within yourself, you will understand that happiness is not found in things, but in experiences.
When you think of something positive from the past, your thoughts will undoubtedly be pleasant experiences rather than material possessions. People love to remember the moments they spent with loved ones, trips abroad, warm friendships, and exciting events. You rarely find a person remembering their fashionable clothes or a flat screen TV.
Every experience changes us in some way, makes us fine-tune our likes and dislikes, drives us to grow. When you experience something, it stays with you forever, no matter how much time has passed. Only experiences make people unique and interesting.
It’s easy to fool yourself into thinking that buying new things all the time is natural. You see 99% of people doing that, how harmful can it be? Unfortunately, it is very harmful because it makes us miserable. Yes, things, if bought without a real need for them, cause more misery than happiness. It is an unnatural way of producing happiness that backfires by making us feel the exact opposite of what we expected.
People who spend money to travel have a higher level of awareness than those who spend their entire salary on furniture, clothing, and the latest gadgets. People who create small streams of passive income over time and avoid unnecessary purchases are happier than those who slave their entire lives to jobs they hate in order to afford a house that satisfies their ego.
All depressions, nervous breakdowns, and other emotional dysfunctions are caused by this very misunderstanding of what makes us happy. People who look for happiness in things will always be very disappointed because it is impossible to find happiness in something physical. Happiness can only be found by getting in touch with your true essence and within your experiences.
Please don’t get me wrong, I’m not against material possessions. They are great if used for their intended purpose. For example, chocolate is there to end your hunger and not to make you forget your failures. New clothes are for your body and not for your ego. Everything has its purpose, but that purpose is never about changing your state of mind in any way.
Things are not made to cling to either. If you get attached to anything physical in this universe, you’re in trouble. You will be miserable as long as you cling to something outside of yourself.
If you suffer from misery caused by material things, it’s time to make some adjustments in your life. Going for material possessions “quickly” avoiding shopping for 30 days or so, except for food of course. If you live with someone, ask them to buy you food, that would be ideal. Also, get rid of things you don’t use and try to find peace and happiness within yourself through silence or meditation.
After a month of such a change, you will be a different person, guaranteed. You will become more emotionally stable, small incidents will no longer bother you, and you will radiate happiness regardless of what happens to you. So go ahead and give it a try – you’ll like the taste of a simplified life. Remember, the more detached you are from material things, the happier you will be.