I came across a TED talk the other day which was titled The Minimalists: A Rich Life With Less Stuff. The title caught my attention because I am the person in my family who likes to throw things away. Naturally, I was intrigued to hear what Ryan Nicodemus and Joshua Fields Millburn had to say. I highly encourage you all to watch it as well.

Ryan mentioned how as his salary grew so did his spending. He also added how to the outside world it looked like he was living the life.  He had a condo, he would get a new car ever so often and he was successful. However, what people were not able to see is the amount of debt he had,  how miserable he felt, and how stressed out and anxious he was.  He was filling a void with stuff and the cycle kept repeating itself.

I can definitely relate to his story when it comes the buying ‘happiness’ game. From the moment we are born we start owning and then accumulating things. But, how often do we throw things away?

As I look in my own room I see a bunch of stuff. Some of the things I bought have me questioning why I was compelled to buy them in the first place, while other things I keep because I think I will need them one mysterious day in the future.

I have my moments when I go on a dumping rampage, but it is a lot easier helping others to let go of their stuff, then to let go of my own stuff.

In the video, Ryan mentioned how his friend Joshua seemed so happy in comparison to him and he could not figure out why. Joshua told him how just by simplifying his life and getting rid of the unnecessary it made room for what was really important like relationships.

It makes you wonder why do we keep running on the wheel like a hamster when we know buying things will not fill the void we are seeking to fix?