“Success is dependent on effort.”
Sophocles
I’ve written before about how it’s easier to acquire tastes than it is to get rid of them. Something normally that’s exotic or saved for special occasions can quickly become our new normals. Instead of saving that delicious Italian restaurant for your birthday, you start having it once a week.
For me, that’s amplified with a personal tendency to overdo it. A cheat “meal” turns into a cheat “weekend”. Or instead of one newsletter, I make three.
But do we really need our “needs”?
I don’t consider myself a minimalist. I related to some of the core values of minimalism, but I wouldn’t label myself as a minimalist. I’m more of a… “essentialist” “practicalist” “intentionalist” something along those lines (semantics, to be sure, but still).
It’s helpful to put things in perspective. In five years, all of the technology you and I use will be obsolete. Five years is generous. There’s a lot of new and exciting gadgets coming out right now. It’s more likely every piece of tech we own will be obsolete in a few months.
It’s good to test your dependencies regularly.
For example, taking a break from social media or swearing off coffee for a year.
Dependency aren’t evil. But they do make us reliant on them. Once you get used to having a certain quality of something, it’s hard to go back. I think that’s why people in third world countries are so happy with very little. It’s not the stuff that they have or don’t have, it’s the knowledge that something “better” is out there.
This feeling is what I want to resist. I love luxury, but I don’t want to *need* it to be happy. I want to test my dependencies because you never know what fate my take of you. I’d rather be happy and healthy than rich. But if I can be happy, healthy, and rich that would be great too 😉. As long as that money isn’t controlling me.
What are other things we are reliant on? What are your crutches?
Clothes? New technology? Habits?
Action: Make a list of things you need and use every day. If you forced yourself to give them up for a month, or six or a year, could you?
To live an unconventional life we must do unconforming things.
STAY BOLD, Keep Pursuing,
— Josh Waggoner | Daily Blog #1062
P.S. If you enjoyed this article, consider buying me a coffee ☕️.
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