We tend to consume a lot of stuff. But we don’t always enjoy the stuff we consume. Likewise, sometimes there is something we would enjoy but we don’t pursue it for one reason or another.
If you really enjoy something, you should go towards that thing. It doesn’t matter if it’s expensive or inexpensive, produced by a large company or produced by one person, very popular or known only to a small group.
No matter what it is, where it came from, who made it or how it’s advertised, if you enjoy it, that’s all that matters.
It’s hard to decide what you should consume because there are so many choices. Sometimes there is pressure to consume things that everyone wants – products or services that are heavily marketed and produced by large companies. And sometimes there is the opposite pressure – to consume things that only a few people know about, that are produced by smaller businesses or maybe just one person.
But really, there is only one way to decide if you should consume something. Ask yourself:
Will I Enjoy This?
You might think that if everyone consumed everything they enjoyed, our consumption would go through the roof. But I don’t think so. If everyone only consumed what they really, truly enjoyed our consumption would become much less.
Think about all of the trips to the mall you have ever made and the purchases you made on those trips. Do you know where most of those things are now? Do you even care where most of those things are now?
Now think about purchases you have made that you continue to use regularly (maybe many years later) and enjoy using. How many of those items can you think of?
When I first started working I didn’t make very much money. I could cover my bills and put a little in savings (and I considered myself fortunate for both of those things) but didn’t have much left over.
When I wanted to buy something I had to ask myself if I really, really wanted it. This applied to all of the typical stuff you might buy on a regular basis – clothes, DVDs, CDs (at the time), books, movies, restaurants, etc.
If I didn’t really, really want it, I wouldn’t buy it because I just didn’t have that much money to spend. Even as I began to earn more money, I still followed this philosophy because I brought less stuff into my life and really enjoyed the things I had.
This was a great lesson to learn.
Next time you are about to buy something, ask yourself: how much will I enjoy this? Let the answer guide your decision.
I agree with this post wholeheartedly up to a point………..Until i read it doesn’t matter what it is, where it came from, etc………because in this day and age it does matter. We have to be more informed than that, more responsible about buying locally and sustainably…….we really can’t afford to not think about those things for the enviroments sake and ultimately our own sake………
Amanda, I do follow you for some months now, but I didn’t compliment you before. I find a lot in your texts, a lot of recognition, a lot of wisdom. Thanks for that.
Also here: Wise lesson you learn us. Surely I’m going to ask myself that question more often ‘will I really enjoy this?’. And to Deb I would like to add: If we really enjoy what we consume, we will know what it’s worth. The burden for the environment and the exploitation of underpaid people in underdeveloped countries are caused because we want to consume more and more against always lower prices. And that is caused by not really enjoying what we consume and thus not really experiencing its value. So I do think that the worries Deb expresses and the attitude Amanda describes can coexist very well.
Hi Deb – Yeah, I understand what you are saying. I was thinking along the lines of what Arne said in his comment, which is that since those things are important when buying something they would fall under the umbrella of “enjoying.” If you don’t like where the product has come from then you probably don’t enjoy it and will avoid it.
Hi Arne – Thanks for commenting and glad you have been enjoying the blog. I was thinking along the same lines of what you wrote in your comment.