Want to be happy? Get less stuff.

We’re wired to want the best of everything – the nicest car, the nicest house in the nicest suburb.  The best job at the biggest company.  The newest, the fastest, the best.

We tell ourselves that when I finally get the (insert new thing we’re going for) we’ll be happy, that we’ll have finally made it.

Made what?  And for who?  Nobody really knows.

The point is whilst it is great to strive for better and achieve all we can in our pursuit of success, happiness itself is a bit of a different story.

Just as we find ourselves in possession of the shiny new thing we really really wanted that would make us super happy, the next model gets released and we’re advertised into wanting it – the next shiny thing takes our focus.

No matter what we acquire, there will always be the next thing.  So how can you find happiness in this constant pursuit of more?  The answer is both simple and hard – have less stuff.

It's not to say you shouldn’t strive to achieve your goals and buy the things you want, go for it.  Achieve it and be proud of what you’ve done.  Just don’t expect material things to create lasting inner happiness.

We’ve all come across stories of the rich and famous who find themselves miserably unhappy or people in the most horrid situations being a beacon of happiness and gratitude – why?  Having more stuff does make us happy but that happiness is short lived, it is quickly replaced with a desire for the next thing or the next goal.  We need to take the time to find happiness in the simple things.  To stop, notice and appreciate what we do have. 

Cull what you don’t need, simplify your life, clean out your space.  It will create more peace and calmness within your life.  It will also help you appreciate what you do have a whole lot more. 

And from time to time, give yourself the chance to appreciate how far you’ve come and what you’ve achieved.