This one question saved my life
(Had Enough?)
“Nothing is enough for the man to whom enough is too little”
Epicurus
This quote may be well over 2’000 years old but its message is more prescient than ever.
If we never stop to ask ourselves ‘What is enough for me?’, then we are destined to keep searching (unsuccessfully), until we find that our time is up.
In failing to ask this question, we repeat poor spending habits, inadequate diets and self destructive thought patterns.
We earn more, we spend more. But what are we spending that money on?
A newer car?
A phone upgrade?
More clothes?
Not so long ago, these items which you felt the need to upgrade were themselves the new item. So, when did they stop bringing you joy?
Have you thought about how long the novelty of that new pair of shoes will last, before you feel the urge to look for more?
Before you know it this has become an endless, habitual cycle.
We earn more money and own more stuff and lead more ‘luxurious’ lifestyles, yet we are still in the same precarious financial positions that an unexpected bill could topple us from at any moment.
Too often we are led by impulse.
Companies use our data to send us tailored ads which feed off of these human traits, leading you to have away with your hard earned money for something you will become tired of, in a matter of weeks.
This is why “70% of lottery winners end up broke and a third go on to declare bankruptcy.”
If we don’t know what is enough for ourselves and our loved ones we end up draining our own resources until we are forced to take action, at which point it is too late.
An unchecked pursuit of more, ends in bankruptcy.
Be that morally, monetarily or spiritually.
In learning to understand these impulses and identify them, we can override them. By putting in place some rules for ourselves from which we can form much healthier habits.
Not in depriving yourself of things that bring you joy but in knowing why they have that effect on you and cultivating self awareness.
The result of finding what is truly enough for you is to keep your desires in check. It’s to have self control. It’s to be happy regardless of status, wealth or power.
Start today by questioning your assumptions, your actions, your habits, your life.
And start with the question,
