Stuff

• What you own can own you.
• It’s OK to want more.
• Life is not a zero sum game.
• Abundance is reality.
• Who do I have to become, to get what I want?
• Love what you have, because if you get more, you have to know how to love it too.
• Everything you have you hold in trust for the next generation. You never really own anything.

A lot of life seems to be centered around getting more stuff.

More clothes, a newer / better phone, a house, a car, a cottage, another car, nicer furniture, whatever. Stuff.

It’s OK To Want More

These things are good to have, and just so we’re clear, it’s OK to want more. That might not be a popular, or politically correct point of view, but I want to officially give you permission. You want more, go for it.

There is some stigma around having too much stuff. If you already have a house, and a cottage, you should know it’s OK to want a ski chalet and a house in the south of France as well. With an abundant mindset, comes an abundance of stuff.

Just be careful, because what you own, can come to own you.

It could be an ego thing, that all your friends have one, so you should have one too. But you can’t really afford it. Or it can be a maintenance thing, taking care of your stuff. Where you don’t only have to mow the lawn in the city, you have to mow the lawn at the cottage too.

If you’re not careful, all your time could be taken up by stuff, and all your money too! It can become the question of which mortgage to pay, or should you play with your kids, or mow the lawn? And do you really want to work half your life just to pay for the insurance on your Ferrari?

There’s nothing wrong with wanting more, just remember that more is…well… more. More work, more money, more obligations.

That said, you might not yet be at the point where you have all you want. You might be wondering why that is. You do all the things you’re supposed to do. You’ve created the habits, you’ve done the work, but not everything has arrived yet. You might wonder what’s wrong.

Who Do You Have To Become?

The easiest answer I’ve found is to ask a simple question, and the answer will show you the way. The simple question is: ‘What type of person do I have to become, to get what I want?’

If the people who ALREADY HAVE what you want, act, know, and execute in the exact same way you do, it’s only a matter of time until you get what you want. Only a matter of time until you have what they have.

If, however, you do not act in that way, you’re in for an uphill battle. If your peer group doesn’t have those things, the people you’re learning from don’t have those things, and your behaviours don’t reflect the type of behaviour that someone who has those things would do, then you have some work to do.

It has virtually nothing to do with who you are today. It has everything to do with who you have to become, to get what you want.

Three Perspectives on Stuff

Now time for three little perspectives on stuff. Whether you have a lot of stuff, or just a little stuff, the first perspective is gratefulness.

If you’re not grateful for what you have right now, how do you know you’ll be happy when you have that bike, or car, or house? I can tell you from experience, that once you get that thing, you will soon be asking yourself, what’s next? What’s the next shiny object, or material possession that you are going after?

This has been true for me because the journey is as much, if not more, fun than the destination.

It took 13 years for me to get that cottage, but the actual getting took 30 minutes of paperwork. That’s it. Love what you have, and more will come, and you’ll love it too!

The second thing to bear in mind is everything you have, you hold in trust for the next generation.

This is a much, much longer time horizon point of view, and will help you make decisions. Think about the things you have that will be worth more in the future, but think about them from the perspective of caretaking, or stewardship.

You never really own anything, you just hold it in trust for the future stewards. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pile it up, and hold on to all you can, because either way a generation or two will thank you for it (and probably spend most of it). And that makes all the effort to get all the stuff worthwhile.

The third and final thing about stuff is life is not a zero sum game.

You can have lots of stuff, your neighbor, your friend, and your enemy can too! And that’s all OK. There’s lots to go around. Abundance is reality, so be happy for all the stuff everyone else has too! If you feel a pang of envy, don’t let it bother you, just go get some more stuff of your own.

So how much stuff is enough? That’s a question only you can answer, but whatever that answer is, don’t let stuff rule your life.

Because, after all, it’s just stuff.