We’re Influenced to Not Settle With Enough
More money, more friends, more things!
More more more!
Whether they’re ads on TV, billboards, or social media, companies are constantly trying to convince you to buy their product. They make you feel a bit insecure about yourself, give you a sense of FOMO, or even lie to you that they’re solving a problem that you actually need solving. Society creates this illusion that the more we have in life, the better our life will be. And of course, they’re talking about more money, more friends, and more possessions.
Living in the heart of the tech world, I was exposed to what money can buy. And I wanted it all! At one point, I strove to work towards becoming some director at a tech company to make enough money to eventually buy a mansion similar to the ones in Atherton.
In 2019, I got promoted to a Senior Software Engineer and it felt great moving up the ladder. But it took only a few days before I started questioning why I wasn’t excited about the higher role and larger paycheck. That was my first wake-up call to reflect whether my definition of success should focus on my paycheck, status, and possessions.
Minimalism Helped Me Focus on Enough
What mainly changed my mind about how to view possessions -- and ultimately everything else -- was the documentary, Minimalism by The Minimalists and Matt D'Avella. To try to summarize the amazing documentary into a few words, minimalism is a point-of-view and lifestyle where you avoid being hostage to material things. Your possessions should always provide some sort of value to your life, whether it's functionality or joy. Once they no longer provide any sort of purpose or value, it's time to get rid of it! Other than that, we should focus more on valuing people and experiences.
This led me to realize what I needed in life wasn't a large house, millions of dollars, and the coolest gadgets in the world! But what did I need in life? What do I value more than the others? What kind of money did I need for that lifestyle? Those were the questions I needed to answer. To me, I found that I valued experiences more such as traveling, eating amazing food, and spending time with loved ones. With that new understanding, I started to revolve my life around those things.
How Focusing on Enough Changes Your Lifestyle
I started to own fewer things and, instead, spent my money on experiences. This shift allowed me to think about my belongings and what was enough for my type of lifestyle. And if we are thinking about what's enough in terms of material things, why not think about what's enough in the other aspects of our lives?
What about finances? We could strive to make as much money as we possibly can for the rest of our lives, but that means we’d always be looking for a more extravagant lifestyle. But focusing on making more money without justifying why we need it will lead to constant dissatisfaction.
Instead, we can focus on the lifestyle that we want to live based on our purpose and values. Minimalism is not just a mindset shift to only own the things that add value to you. It's also a mindset shift to only focus on enough for everything else in your life.
Growing up, I always wanted more because that's the mindset that society tells us to have. When we always want more, we sacrifice our health & well-being working more hours than we can handle, spend on more things that we don't need, and are never content with where we are in life.
All of our ideal lifestyles are different, but if we're intentional about how we want to live, we'll know what resources we need to live our ideal lifestyle.
Whether you're eco-friendly, a mental health advocate, or just a person who wants to appreciate what they have more, focusing on what's enough will not only greatly impact you as an individual, but also those around you.
Focusing on Enough is Living Intentionally
In an age where you may have an excess amount of money, but you still feel like something is missing, we typically think it means we need more of something. But instead, we probably just have an excessive amount of unnecessary random shit and not enough of what we actually value most.
Focusing on enough means you’re intentional with what your work is going to be like, what you’ll want to own as possessions, and what your mental health and well-being will be like.
**Fair warning, results may include contentment, less unnecessary stress or anxiety, and less care for other people’s metrics of success.
Intentional living means curating a fulfilling and thriving lifestyle that you intend to have. To feel fulfilled is to feel satisfied with what you have. Be fulfilled with your enough.