Don't Work For Things

"The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more but in developing the capacity to enjoy less." 

-Socrates

(This is essentially one of the core philosophy of Buddhism.)

Because I don't believe that success is defined with material things, I never been one that found pleasures in accumulating objects but I realized that, for the few objects that I do own, the objects owns me just as much as I own it as I need to care for it. Some of my friends have big houses, camps, multiple cars, four-wheelers, motorcycles... all these things requires one's attention in order to function properly and you kind of, as I mentioned before, become a slave to it.

I'm not against material things but maybe we should limit what we own and not associate happiness, or success, with things regardless of what society says.

I find he world of sales to be most guilty of this as sales is about projecting an image of success through various objects that society associates with success. Salespeople knows that you're more likely to buy their products or services if they show up in a new BMW, wearing a fancy watch, than if they show up in a 20 year old, rusted, car. The problem with this way of doing business is the salesperson, who often doesn't actually have the finances to support the successful image he's trying to project, goes broke trying to look successful. Maybe this is what they meant by "fake it until you make it"?

Being excessively in debt is, perhaps, the biggest downside of trying to own too many things or live beyond your means. It's very difficult to find happiness in situations where you have to work to pay off past purchases.

A friend of mine said she wants her entire life to fit within a suitcase. She loves to travels and fully understands the joys of owning very little. Maybe we should take her example?