In my experience, loss has always been the most effective reminder of what truly matters to me. So many times in my life, I needed to experience loss and the pain of it, before I could recognize a problem.
It is easy to accumulate “things,” especially when finances are in good order. Clothes, electronics, cool tables and lamps, oil diffusers, watches, a new car, endless workout equipment and clothing….stuff that makes me feel better about myself in some way. They all have a purpose but they aren’t all necessities.
When I lost everything, I learned to be very resourceful. I also learned that I didn’t need a lot of the things I had been clinging to for so long. Finding happiness in relationships and building healthy habits became my new lifestyle. I learned to be happy and make do with very little.
As I made progress, I began accumulating some things again. Simple luxuries. I made sure to be careful of why and what I was purchasing. I had to learn to be mindful of how much emotional stock I invested in these things.
Stuff can’t make me happy but it can easily distract me from the things in life that do.
-Neal
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