we are more than enough
hello and I hope all is well. This post has arrived just in time for us to think and reconsider the way we think of ourselves and how we demonstrate that through our spending. Minimalism is something I've talked about a few times on here, so if you are interested in that topic feel free to read my previous posts. Minimalism to me is the act of keeping your belongings to minimum. That minimum is dependent on you, it's dependent on what you actually use and what you don't. This includes subscriptions, coffee runs, memberships, hobbies, social engagements, classes etc. It's sitting with yourself and categorizing what you do enjoy and what you don't to help you better focus on the good that makes you happy. What I have learned is that happiness isn't something we need to gain through external means but something we need to uncover by removing the excess in our lives. Minimizing helps us gain clarity on what is already there. This doesn't mean you never go shopping or sign up for a magazine subscription, this means that you are a 100% certain and present with your purchases as well as yourself. It is said that a person who buys what they do not need robs themselves. Spending money effectively is a way of having self-respect. I'm not coming to you with answers, I struggle with saving money, shopping ethically, lowering plastic waste and buying more sustainable products and that's why I am obsessed with the topic. I am still figuring it out.
I have taken some huge strides: I have donated my clothes at least once a year for the last couple years, I shop second hand, I avoid non ethical brands like Nike for example, I have purchased bamboo toothbrushes, and reusable pads, but there is still so much more work to do. With quarantine, I have found myself pulling out my debit card more than I would like to. And it doesn't help that my card is strategically placed on the back of my phone. If I really wanted to stop shopping I would add more friction between me and my card. Say put it in my wallet in the closet but no. So online shopping has become easier than ever. Don't get me wrong I don't regret my purchases but they are not the most ethical brands...so why do I do it?
How come I stopped making the effort of leaving the house to go to a second hand shop, or thrift shopping online or spending the extra cash to get something that will last longer? This is a question I didn't have an answer to for awhile and then it came to me. Fast fashion. I got sucked into the world of fast trendy fashion...again. It's quicksand really. You see an ad and you ignore it but this time of the year they are accompanied by a "70% off" sign and "buy two get one off" banners. You can't ignore all the red and flashing coming from the side of your computer. So you browse and browse and browse and then you purchase. I am not here to shame anyone getting their holiday shopping done, I am talking about buying things you don't really need. Like two of the same shirt useless. I guess my need to shop for certain pieces is because it's trendy, but the problem with chasing trends is exactly that, trends fade. Compared to purchasing pieces that I actually enjoy and love. So it's a constant back and forth I've what I like and what I think I should like or have (which will be out of style by the end of winter).
We are more than enough means that we don't have to wreck our own bank accounts for things we do not want. We don't need to bend over backwards for people we don't like and we owe it to ourselves to minimize the chatter of how things are supposed to be and focus on gaining clarity on what we already have. Happiness is here, fullness of life is here, reasons to be grateful are here; it's just under all the excess and negative thoughts and behaviour that we have become accustom to. Black Friday season is a reminder to be grateful for everything we already have, and detach a little from our christmas lists to focus on the internal instead of the external. We are more than enough right now in the present. Not after this purchase or that haircut or this person, we are more than enough right here on this rainy November Monday