Being Happy With Less

Written By Leland Lewis

One of the hurdles that many of us face is that we might find ourselves in a situation where we're constantly wanting more. While there's nothing wrong with wanting to better your life, at some point it's good to ask why we want more. Today we want to try a different approach and see the value in being happy with less.

What Does More Do For Us?

When we want something more there can be a lot of factors at play. Scarcity is a concept that revolves around a given resource being in low supply. Depending on our experiences, it can affect the relationship we have with certain resources such as time or money. If we feel time is in short supply we might find out that we're rushing through things in an effort to have more time for ourselves. If we feel money is scarce we might find ourselves hoarding away what we earn and constantly craving more. These feelings towards resources aren't healthy and create a negative link with both the resources along with our actions towards them. The problem with more in this case is that it's trying to fill a void for something we wish we had when in reality we might have enough.

“When we want something more there can be a lot of factors at play.”

Where Our Mindset Comes Into Play

Our mentality can make or break how we look at things. When our mind is in a good headspace it's a lot easier for us to see the value in what we currently have going on in our lives. When we don't feel well our perspective might not accurately reflect what's happening. It's up to us to use the tools we have available to see things in a healthier light. When we consider the idea of being happy with less a few things may come to mind. Minimalism, a smaller social circle, and even fewer things that we want. Each of these can teach us to look at things in different ways. Minimalism allows us to cut down on material possessions we own so that what we do have provides us with actual joy. A smaller friend group gives us the chance to cultivate deeper relationships with those around us and promote quality over quantity. Wanting less can show us that even small goals such as taking care of ourselves are all we really need to be happy.

“When our mind is in a good headspace it's a lot easier for us to see the value in what we currently have going on in our lives.”

Less Stress More Satisfaction

Being happy with less can help in so many ways. When we want less, there's less stress that we have to manage. This is largely because when we want a lot of things we might think about how we'll get these things or whether we'll have enough resources to do so. The act of simply wanting less removes a lot of the potential stresses that go along with our wants. Gratitude is something else that can come as a result of being happy with less. It teaches us to look at what we have and use it to the best of our ability. It allows us to cherish those currently in our lives and see them as individuals. Most importantly though, it can show us that we already have everything we need to be happy.

Leland Lewis
Previous

Practicing Forgiveness
Next

Bettering Ourselves