Materialism.

We live in an unfortunate world where material items are king.  Advertisements, social media, and the nastiness of comparison drives us to spend money we may not have on items we probably don't need instead of valuing experiences and personal growth instead.  Don't get me wrong.  I love a good pair of jeans more than you know, and spending a day shopping with my sister is on my list of Top 5 things to do.  But in the last year I have gotten sick of it all.  I'm tired of being in debt, sick of running around the hamster wheel of want, and most importantly scared that Morrison will get sucked into this ugly habit as well.  

From the time I was able to make my first dollar, I used shopping as a means of temporary happiness.  Clothes, cosmetic, shoes, housewares, you name I bought it, to make up for what I lacked in confidence and satisfaction with myself.  To reverse this habit is major work, but in the last couple of years I knew it had to be done.  So I started paying down debt, doing a lot of personal development, and cutting myself off from browsing online shops.  Moving twice in the last couple of years also helped immensely.  It gave me the ability to purge and donate simply because I didn't want to pack and move things that I didn't use or love.  During my move last month I got rid of almost 30 garbage bags of stuff.  It made me sick to my stomach.  It wasn't so much that I was donating it to a great cause, but because I could easily get rid of SO MUCH STUFF and still have more than enough.  In fact I knew that I wouldn't even notice it was gone!!  

My new mantra is that if I don't need something, it doesn't get purchased.  If I wouldn't want to pack and move it, it stays on the shelf.  If I need to put it on a credit card because I don't have the money, it isn't worth it.  I hope that this new simple life will teach Morrison the value of experiences over things, and that self worth is NEVER dictated by the items that you own.