The endless cycle of buying stuff to remain happy

A friend MSN-ed me recently and complained to me that her boyfriend did not want to settle down. I asked her, how old is her boyfriend? 33. I then asked her….does he know what he really want in life?

The answer did not surprise me at all. It was a “He said he has no answer yet…But..I think maybe his aim is to get his BMW 5 series?”

To be honest, we have a lot of people who think that way in our society nowadays. Big houses…big cars….and in order to get these things, they need to earn money. Loads of them. Once they’ve done that, the cars would’ve gotten old and it’s time to change a new car again. And then, they fall back to the old routine of earning more money to pay off the bank loans. Well…you get the drill.

And yes, it’s a never ending cycle.

A never ending cycle that so many people are stuck in it.

I wonder, have people ever think of why do they need those big car, big houses, luxury goods? Is it just for show? Is it to prove to other people they can do it? To prove they are successful and more superior? Or to feed their inner ego?

Perhaps, if you are stuck in this endless cycle, you should start to ask yourselves those questions. What is it, that you really want in life? Are you sure getting big cars and big houses will satisfy you? Will they really bring you long-term happiness?

And most importantly, when do you think you can stop and get out from this endless cycle? You have a timeline in mind? Or you plan to do this until you are tired and old?

Don’t get me wrong. There’s nothing wrong getting nice cars, big houses or luxury goods. I myself always dream of those. But life is more that those things and they don’t necessarily bring you the long-term happiness that we all seek. Also, even without those things, I sincerely believe we can still lead a happy and rewarding life. Because there are still plenty of joy and happiness in this world for all of us, and most of them come free. Don’t you think so too?

Remember….live within your means…happily and healthily.

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