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It's About Time
Ruth Wong
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Contentment helps simplify life
As the holiday season approaches and as I begin to shop for gifts, I find that it's so tempting to buy things for myself. I don't think I'm alone in this, for I've shopped with friends and they do the same thing!
Why is it that many of us feel we need to buy more and more for ourselves? It usually isn't because we don't have enough -- most of us have more than enough. Yet we're tempted to continuously add to our inventory.
With this in mind, I'd like to suggest a gift we can give ourselves. It doesn't cost any money. In fact, this gift will save you money.
It's the gift of contentment -- in this case, contentment regarding material possessions.
As a wise man once said, "Our necessities are few but our wants are endless."
That's especially true in this shopping season, when we are exposed to so many things that we could want!
It's said that someone once asked John D. Rockefeller how much money it took to make a man happy and content. Rockefeller's reply was, "just a little more than what he has."
The same can be true for some of us. How much does it take to make us happy and content? Sadly, the answer is the same: just a little more than what we have.
Americans can be greedy consumers. We have more than we know what to do with, yet we want more. Isn't that the definition of "greedy"?
Synonyms for "greedy" include gluttonous, covetous, piggish and hoggish. Ouch!
Synonyms for "contentment" include satisfaction, being pleased, ease of mind and happiness.
Contentment is good for the soul and has practical benefits as well.
Being content is a giant step toward simplifying life. No longer do we bring more and more goods into our homes, no longer do we spend precious time and money shopping for things we don't need, and no longer do we pore over mail-order catalogs. We can focus on enjoying what we have instead of accumulating more.
Who do you think is more content, the man who has $10 million or the man who has 10 children?
The answer: the man who has 10 children -- because he doesn't want any more!
This season, let's realize how much we already have, and use and enjoy it to the fullest. That will free us to focus on giving to others -- to family, friends and the less fortunate.
See you in two weeks!
Ruth Wong owns Organization Plus. Contact her care of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, Honolulu 96813, call 488-0288 or e-mail
orgplushawaii@hawaiiantel.net.