The Curse of More
What if I told you the majority of people in our lives (including you and me) are infected? Worse, it's highly contagious! Even worse yet, they don't even know they have it....it's a silent killer. I call it the curse of more.
You know, more, as in more stuff, more money, more status, and more security. We're obsessed with more. The newer phone, the fancier car, the bigger house, the more extravagant trip, the bigger bank account. Cool stuff. Fun stuff. Alluring stuff. Powerful stuff.
There's one problem, though. The problem with more is that every time we get more, more is still more. Every time we achieve a goal, a new one replaces it. Every time we buy the newest iPhone, Apple makes a newer one. We move into our "forever" house, then suddenly, the goalpost moves, and we have a new dream house. We dream about having $50,000 in our bank account, but after getting there, $100,000 seems like a nice round number.
The pursuit for more is like running a race on a hamster wheel. The harder we run, the faster the wheel spins. But we're not actually going anywhere. We're standing still while experiencing the allusion of making progress. This is how many of us are living.
Good news! I have a prescription for the curse of more. Two cures, actually. The first is contentment. "A state of happiness and satisfaction," as defined by Oxford. Being content means being satisfied with what you have. I don't have the newest iPhone. I'm content with the one I have. I don't live in the biggest house. I'm content with the one I live in. I don't drive the fanciest car. I'm content with the one I use. Being grateful for what we DO have is the secret to not dwelling on what we DON'T have.
The second prescription is generosity. If you're ever feeling the curse of more trying to poison your heart, seek out opportunities to be generous. There's nothing like giving that can reset our perspective. Further, the satisfaction we're seeking in our pursuit of more is actually found on the other side of generosity. It's a taste that satiates. Giving also points back to contentment, as each time we give, we remind ourselves that we have enough already.
Don't let the curse of more overcome you. It's not a matter of if it will attack, but when. And when it does, contentment and generosity will help you come out the other side. Don't fall for the lies of more. Instead, lean into the truths of contentment and generosity. They will never let you down.