you want to buy that thing? read this first
“After the thrill of the chase, when the adrenaline of acquisition has worn off, things will almost always go back to the way they were before. The main difference is that we have fewer resources because of the time, energy, and money we spent on that new whatever.”
— Colin Wright
Today is Cyber Monday. And I’m sure most of us would be spending a great deal of time today browsing deals online.
There’s nothing wrong with shopping around and buying things. The only thing that I would suggest you do is use your time and attention wisely.
Choose conscious shopping over compulsive hoarding. Even though your inbox would be full of Cyber Monday deals, and you might be tempted to buy things left, right, and center, don’t fall into the consumption trap. Before you purchase any item, take a pause and ask yourself some key questions:
- Do I really need that thing?
- Can I afford it? (Credit cards don’t apply!)
- Am I buying on a whim or have I planned and saved in advance?
- Will it add value to my life? Will it bring joy to me and/or make my personal or professional life easier?
- Do I need it urgently or can I wait for some more time?
- Is this purchase justified? Can I buy a cheaper alternative that works as good as this item?
- Am I buying this to impress someone, earn someone’s favor, win someone’s love or make up for my absence in someone’s life?
- Am I willing to pay the actual cost of that thing?
It doesn’t matter if it’s Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Prime Day, or any other “shopping holiday,” time well spent on things and people that matter the most always trumps money well spent on buying stuff to fill a certain void, within or without.
Today, go online, browse deals and make a few purchases if you like. Put your money to good use for sure, but most importantly, DO NOT waste your time and attention. We all have a finite amount of those precious resources every single day, and rather than spending them entirely on consumption, along with incessant browsing and scrolling, it’s much wiser to take a balanced approach and spend a good portion of them on creation and contribution as well.
“Everything is 100% off if you don’t buy it.” — Joshua Fields Millburn
You may get amazing discounts from retailers, but only you can give yourself the absolute best discounts on many items… by not buying them in the first place! Spending money on an item you don’t need to save a certain percentage of money is plain stupid. Rather, save money by not spending it altogether. Think about it, it’s a win-win for you and your loved ones.
