The Bell Curve of Stuff

Have you ever thought about the evolutionary process of stuff? As children, we start from scratch with nothing but diapers. We rush to grow up, get our driver's licenses, go to college so we can get good jobs to make money to acquire things. Those things get replaced by more things, better things, bigger things. Then, as we grow older, we start the process of downsizing. We get rid of our things so we can fit into smaller spaces. We move into smaller homes, townhouses, condos, retirement homes, assisted living homes, or nursing homes and find ourselves back in diapers with nothing left of our stuff, right back where we started.

I'm intrigued by this phenomenon and wonder, Is this an American thing or is this a common occurrence with other cultures? Given our young country's economic dependency on consumer driven behavior, I can't help but think this is a self induced cycle of economic insanity in which Americans willingly participate. Big business drives this train in the form of commercial advertisements that tell us what we need to buy in order to be happy. You need this car, these clothes, that house. No one would dare suggest that happiness is an inside job. If someone lets that secret out of the bag, it might tank the economy.

I, for one, am skipping the bell curve of stuff and embracing the flat line approach; I don't want to be the janitor of my possessions. And it doesn't matter that I'm a SINK (single income, no kids). Even if you are a DINK (dual income, no kids) or have a big family, you can embrace the flat line approach. Mindful living doesn't mean living without, it means living consciously; making honest decisions about your possessions and remaining in control of your life. If your stuff doesn't fit where you're living, it's time to get rid of some stuff, it's not time to move into a bigger place. Living mindfully also means living within or below your means. Just because you have the money to buy more, bigger, better, it doesn't mean you should. Sometimes what you don't buy says more about you than what you do.

If you feel like your stuff is running your life, it is. But it doesn't have to be stay that way. You have a choice. You can change this any time you want. You will get everything you need, and probably a whole lot more, as soon as you let go of a few things.