This might sound crazy to some, but I was slightly depressed the day I couldn’t fit all of my stuff in the trunk of my car. Renting a U-Haul to schlep all my junk was so…emotionally draining.
Did I really need all this STUFF?
Need or Want?
It’s a question I battle every time I go to Target. I fill up my cart and then before I check out, I stop and go through each item asking myself, “Is this a need or a want?”
Need: Toilet Paper Want: Hunger Games DVD
When I saw this article on Nicolas Berggruen, “The Homeless Billionaire” something within my spirit resonated.
I strongly believe in simple abundance and I found a billionaire who follows my ethos!
What is Simple Abundance?
Here is what simple abundance entails: It’s the idea of not being tied down to stuff or allowing THINGS to control me. Simple abundance knows that every new thing carries a cost of maintenance and it only allows the truly important things to define me.
Nicolas sold both of his homes and his personal island, now traveling the world with “what little he owns in storage and travels light, carrying just his iPhone, a few pairs of jeans, a fancy suit or two, and some white monogrammed shirts he wears until they are threadbare.”
Now, I am not as extreme as Nicholas. I have a mortgage and I deeply value both home and family. I want to create a safe haven for my loved ones, but Nicholas reminds me I don’t need to collect and hoard things.
In the words of Pastor Kenton Beshore, “It all goes back in the box someday and you can’t take it with you.”
What defines you?
So instead of buying boats and clothes and more STUFF, I want to collect relationships and experiences with people.
I think Jesus would have been a simple abundance kind of guy. He traveled light.
How about you? What do you collect?
For a great fashion blog on this concept, check out The Twenty Pieces Project-Life With Less.
Photo Credit: From isleofviewblog.tumblr.com
