Moderation and Overconsumption

Something that we can all struggle with is moderation. I personally struggle with moderation in all corners of my life. A great example of this would be my favorite style of shirt. I suppose that should buy a handful, but merely thinking of purchasing only five of them instantly instills fear within me. I worry that… I’m short, and this cut fits so well. If I buy five and they discontinue it, well then what am I to do now? So instead of buying 5, I’ll buy 15, and then 5-10 a month until they clearance them out, then I’ll buy another 20 just in case. I think what we think is this: If I have more, I’ll be special or different or better. Maybe a control thing? Please tell me that I’m not the only person who does this…

Or Dahlia tubers, for instance. I am landscaping my garden myself, and I think of how lovely it would be to grow a few Dahlias in the yard so that I could have fresh cut flowers Summer through Fall. Only, I can’t just buy 5 Dahlia tubers, I have to purchase 24 tubers so I can have enough colors and styles… just in case. Just in case for what? That the world ends, and I didn’t get the red flowers? I honestly don’t know why I am this way, but I have operated this way since I can remember. I have a ‘collect ‘em all’ mentality, and it gives me this deep sense of satisfaction.

What happens when it comes to ideas, though? The. Exact. Same. Thing. I can’t tell you how many businesses that I have started in my head, bought the domain on GoDaddy.com to keep it in my back pocket. Just in case. There it is again… Just in case. It’s almost like I have to have something in my back pocket ‘just in case’ something goes catastrophically wrong. Like if Old Navy stops selling my favorite shirt.

A conversation that I have had with so many of you guys is just this: Our struggle with moderation. The obsessive tendencies that we have to look into the future. All the while, looking into the future is a great way to live our lives, planning too much can cause so much internal stress and clutter in our minds. This is the exact predicament we have found ourselves in time after time.

So how to we fix this?

Well, first we give ourselves the gift of grace. Trying to understand why our thoughts sway in a certain direction will help us get to the root of the problem. Maybe you have a shirt buying problem, too, and have a very specific body shape and nothing has ever fit you like these have. I say, if you budget for them, and you’re using the FIFO system (first in, first out) so that you’re not becoming a hoarder, all if fine by me. Okay, you’ve got me. I’m excusing my behavior by manipulating you all to agree with me. Nobody needs forty of the same shirts on every color and pattern. I get that.

Something that I have been doing to self-regulate and to simplify my life has been this: One thing at a time. Or two, because I have ADHD, and I allow myself to toggle back and forth between two goals because I know myself. Each day, I have been writing in a journal in a specific way and I think you might find it helpful to you, too. It’s something that I learned from Rachel Hollis, and while she’s had some tough times and tribulations regarding personal morals and ethics over the past four years, she was truly onto something. She calls it her “Start Today” method, and there is even a journal that you can purchase to get you started. Once you finish your journal you can finally go buy that overpriced journal you’ve been eyeing at Barned and Nobles for two months. This can also be done with a simple ring notebook from Target.

You start with writing five things that you’re grateful for. You’ll then write down ten goals that you have but write them down as if they have already come to fruition. An example of this would be paying your home off. Instead for writing your goal as, “To pay my house off in Ten Years” you’d write “I’m proud that I my home is paid in full.” This changes that way this thought is triggered in your psyche, and puts you in a place of completion, gratitude, and satisfaction. Then, at the very bottom of the page, you write the one goal you will work on today. Just one. And for today, you will be hyper focused on making that goal or dream come true with every extra moment of each day. Maybe you’re working on getting in control of your budget, so during your lunch hour you make a list of all of your bills and share with yourself how much you’re allowed to spend each week, or even each day. Maybe you’re landscaping like I am, and you choose to focus on a specific area of your garden. Draw a plan and make it fun. Craw each plant that you wish to have, budget the costs, and work out a plan. Things like this give us a goal that is within reach, so it almost allows us to indulge in that instant gratification that we all become victim to.

This has all really helped me embrace a grateful heart, and to allow me to shove down all of the mind clutter that tends to cloud my thoughts and judgement. It’s been helping me with overwhelm, and it’s making my life feel very… Simple. Clean. Obtainable. Clear.

Something that I’ll leave you with is this: Do whatever makes you happy, but no matter what, YOU’RE SO FUCKING SPECIAL no matter what. You’re a winner, and you’re amazing no matter what your thoughts tell you sometimes.

Her is this week’s song link, and the link to our Spotify Album!

Song Link https://open.spotify.com/track/70LcF31zb1H0PyJoS1Sx1r?si=52f242beb95643ed

Album Link https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4ZGCCJMRqzNeEuHbskj9j3?si=i1Bjq4sQTM2Y7d8hFUy0Tw