Do I have enough?

I read something interesting in a Boundless article the other day. The author was talking about how she got her dream house in Hawaii and has everything she ever wanted, but it wasn't as thrilling or fulfilling as she had imagined it. The key point was that we should stop thinking, "What if I had..." and start thinking, "Do I have enough?"

Do I have enough.

I can already foresee the many results that would come about if I could always keep that question in mind. I would spend a whole lot less money. I would be happier. My life would be simpler. I would have more time. I would live more in the present and less in the future. I would not age so quickly. I would be less stressed. I would be less selfish and more willing to serve others. And the list could go on and on...

Contentment really is a powerful virtue. It's hard to cultivate contentment in the culture I live in. I am daily reminded at school of all the achievements I could obtain for myself. Advertisements and coupons in the mail reinforce my selfish nature. And there is hardly a website I can visit where there isn't some advertisement for a sale product.

Some people advise you to ask yourself, "Do I really need that?" before you buy a product. But that question doesn't always work. There will always be something that you "need". More often than not, the "need" is something that will enhance your life rather than a necessity. It's better to ask the question "Do I have enough?" because in reality, you can live quite a satisfying and comfortable life with relatively very little.

And thus, I agree with Charles Dickens, whom the author quotes at the end of her article: "Enough is such a wonderful word."