Simplicity

Having almost 20 dresses, multiple pairs of shoes, over 10 pairs of jeans, multiple pens and pencils, I can say I was an extreme consumer. Did it make me feel happier? Yes, it did sometimes. Did it make me feel anxious, stressed, frustrated? Yes, it did, especially when I got the bills. Whenever I went to a store to get something specific, I bought on-sale items because I was going to need them later. And it has been true. I have bought very cheap items that I have used after, but I am 25 years old and I have debts. Not many, but I do and it stresses me out.

Fortunately, during a recent trip, I met a man who talked about simplicity. He told me about how things and items are valued and respected in his culture. This is by no means a matter of cheapness. You can buy the most expensive purse, but you’ll have one because that’s the amount you need. Things are respected and value because of their service to us. If I have one pen and it’s broken, but still works, I will not buy another one because it still needs to fulfill its purpose of service to me.

After talking to this man, I realize that my life needs to be simpler. I know that I need to value what I have. That I need to save money and buy experiences with that money: Travel the world, spend a day by the ocean, go to museums and watch the stars. I have enough and I don’t need more. Therefore, I will lead a simpler life. I will delete my debt stress and live with what I have which is more than enough.

Thank you for teaching this to me!