“Some people who have nothing are happy. Some people who have everything are unhappy. True wealth is our perspective and the condition of our mind.”
– Unknown
I was trying to declutter this weekend and clean out some of the storage in our basement. It amazed me that we had accumulated so many things that could so easily be tossed out or given away without even a single second of hesitation. If these items hold no personal significance or value and they serve no purpose then what was the point of having these things to begin with?
I often find myself making mental “wish-lists” of items I want whether they are clothes, dining and cookware, or decor for the house. Especially as I read other blogs and see so many cute styles and home decor I feel like I need to “keep up”. But then I try to remind myself that these things aren’t what make a person. No matter how many cute tops I own, the variety of dinnerware I have, or the decor that I have in my home my overall long-term happiness will not change.
Why do we as a society place so much value on things? I really struggle with this as a blogger myself because I feel like in order to be relevant I need to have the latest and greatest, but I also don’t want to accumulate meaningless items that I really don’t need.
This feeling comes in waves and there are times where I really focus on what I need rather than what I want and try to remain practical. But then there are times where I lose control a little and make purchases that are a little more impractical and “just for fun”. That is absolutely okay to do at times, but I don’t want my entire life to be consumed by meaningless items trying to find happiness in them.
Do not let your happiness and self worth be defined by the things you own (or don’t own). Things will not make us happy, the way we live our daily lives and value each moment is where we will find our happiness!
Living Taylored 
I really loved this post. I’ve been married for almost 14 years. When we started out, we were living in NYC. It was super expensive so we rented apartments up until the time our children were small. I was able to stay at home with them so, to me, it was worth it. Nonetheless, I always thought that I’d be so happy if I had a house that we owned. Then, we finally moved and bought a really cute townhouse in the DC area. It didn’t take long though for that feeling to creep back up that I needed a real home, not just a townhouse. Guess what…a few years later, we moved again, and we built what I thought was our dream house. It was a large, new home, that we designed. I was happy, but seriously, I was no more happy than I was when we had the cute townhouse. Now, that I live in a bigger home, my husband and I talk about how great that townhouse was. It’s not about how much you have. It’s about the people in your life, your health, etc…. The more stuff you have, the more there is to deal with. Big homes are a lot to clean and keep up. If you have a lot of stuff, you have to figure out how to store it all – and once it’s stored, do you really use it?. My mom always said she would rather have a few nice things that you use a lot. There is a great documentary on Netflix called The Minimalists. I’m not a minimalist, but it was inspirational. I think they have a podcast too. I hope you have a great week!
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Thank you so much for sharing, Amy! I absolutely agree that what matters are your health and the people in your life! I will definitely look into that documentary 🙂 Have a great week!
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Really loved this motivation for Monday! Everything you said is so very true, and it’s always good to have a little reminder! Have a great day ☺️
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Thank you so much ladies!! Happy Monday 🙂
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I do agree, it’s nice to treat yourself now and then or buy something that you just like rather than need but i have never associated shopping with the level
Of my happiness. The same should really apply to other aspects of our lives as drive to learn more, drive to have a better job, a bigger house, more friends … The truth is the more we have the more significant our responsibilities become and then is this what we wanted in first place ? I guess not always . Great post
http://www.elegantduchess.com
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Thank you, I absolutely agree! More doesn’t mean better 🙂
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I totally agree that it’s not things that make us happy. I know it’s hard as a blogger as well to not want to get new things continually but I also think we have a unique opportunity to encourage people to not only get new pieces ever so often but also re-wear/reuse pieces they have in their closet already. I aspire to go against the status quo. And I can tell you are doing the same!
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Thank you so much, Molly! I absolutely agree that we have the chance to encourage people to reuse and rewear pieces, I love that you make that a priority!
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Great post, Taylor! I did a little cluttering myself over the weekend. I agree, our society really does value things and I am trying to make a point to not shop much anymore. Jake and I are on a huge budget and we don’t need anything. I am trying to be more creative with what I have.
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Thank you! And I totally understand that and I think as a fellow blogger it is great that you are trying to cut back on shopping and focus on what you already have, great message to share with readers!
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Thanks, Taylor. I am really going to try to find a way to incorporate it in a post.
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