You can Escape Materialism and be Happy

In the words of George Burn; Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city.

Money cannot buy love; neither can it buy happiness. In contrast, our materialistic world often urges us to buy the coolest gadgets, trendiest clothes, bigger and better things. But, research has shown that possessions and purchases don’t buy us happiness.

By and large, money buys happiness only for those who lack basic needs. Once you pass a certain monthly income, more money will not buy much more happiness.

We are being pushed towards materialism by corporate organisations for their personal monetary gain, not for our own happiness. Unfortunately, it’s hard to escape the trap of materialism, and find happiness in other ways other than buying luxurious items or finding joy in the shopping mall.

Here’s a guide to finding a materialism-free life and discovering true happiness.

Escaping Materialism

All around us, there are messages telling us to buy, buy and buy. On the Internet, we see continuous adverts trying to get us to purchase a product or service, movies are continually made with adverts placed throughout. Switch on your radio or flip through a newspaper or magazine, and you’re bombarded with more advertisements. Go to a shopping mall, and the urge to buy comes from every direction.

This message to continually buy, buy, buy … and that it will somehow make us happier has been infused into our minds from our childhood days of Happy Meals and cartoons and if care is not taken, you will die with this vague mindset. It’s inescapable.

You could go and live in a hut or you could still live in our modern society, but find ways to escape materialism.

Here are some suggestions:

1. Limit television. Do you really enjoy sticking to the television for hours? Think about which shows you really, really love, and only watch during that time. When the commercials come on, go do something else.

Journalists will never tell you this, but if they’re completely honest, they will confess that the most important part of any media company, from TV or radio to Internet or print media, is the advertising division. It’s the division that pays the pay-checks of the rest of the company. The news is important in driving traffic to the advertising. So when you’re watching or reading news, you’re really being stuck into advertising. Try this instead: switch on the television to strictly view programs you love. Use your remaining time to do something productive.

2. Limit Internet reading. Trust me; reading blogs is not a bad activity. However, you must learn to streamline what you are viewing online. Find just those that you truly love reading; that give you the most value, and limit your reading to those. And just do it once a day, for 30 minutes or so. If you can do that, you have gone a long way towards tearing yourself away from advertising.

3. Give up magazines for books. Magazines are also designed with advertising in mind. And they rarely give you much value. Try reading an advert-free book instead. It’s a much better use of your time.

4. Use a 30-day list. If you still really want to buy something, put it on a list, and write down the date you added the item to the list. Now tell yourself you cannot buy that item for 30 days. It might be difficult, but you can do it. When the 30 days have passed, if you still want it, then buy it. But you can’t buy anything (besides essentials) without putting it on the list for 30 days first. Many times, our urges to purchase will pass during this waiting period.

5. Find other forms of entertainment. There are other things to do besides watch TV or movies or read magazines or newspapers or surf the Internet. Try playing sports or exercising, playing board games, creating art, writing or reading a book. Try doing fun things with your kids or visiting relatives and other loved ones. Try volunteering with a charity. I am sure you could come up with about 20 free or cheap things to do.

The True Path to Happiness

So, if you’re able to escape materialism, how can you find true happiness? There are many ways, and here are some things I suggest trying:

1. Make a grateful list. Make a list of things about which you’re grateful in your life. Give thanks for them daily.

2. Think positive. Try eliminating negative thinking from your life, and think positive instead.

3. Kindness. Practice random acts of kindness and compassion. Do it anonymously. Help those in need. Volunteer. Make someone smile.

4. Love. Make an intimate connection with your loved ones. Develop your friendships. Spend time with them, converse, understand them; make them happy.

5. Health. Exercise and eat healthy — it sounds stale, but it can bring great happiness to your life.

6. Find a meaning to your life. It’s often useful to find meaning, either through a church or spiritual way, or through those we love in life or through the things we are passionate about. Give yourself a purpose.

7. Flow. Eliminate distractions, and really pour yourself into whatever you’re doing. If it’s writing, singing, dancing, acting etc, really put yourself into it, until you forget the outside world.

8. Know yourself. Study yourself; learn about what you love and about your ability to love. Increase your capacity for compassion.

So glad you are here, were the tips helpful? It will be a pleasure to hear your contributions. Don’t leave without dropping a comment. Enjoy the rest of your day.