Unnecessary Necessities

I just read an article about a couple who decided to forgo luxuries for a year and just purchase necessities. After this experiment they wrote an article about what things are perceived as necessities but aren't. I found their conclusions very interesting so I thought I would post them and discuss them a bit on my blog.

Three things perceived as necessities that aren't are: new clothing, more storage, & the approval of others. The last one I found very interesting. So let me elaborate a little bit.

1 -- New Clothing. This one actually seems quite logical to me because I don't shop much anymore. I haven't been clothing shopping for probably a year. I used to love clothing shopping but just for fun, not because I needed new things. Interestingly, the article pointed out that most Americans get rid of 70 pounds of textiles every year! That's a lot of clothing. I'm guessing that means they probably buy that much also.

The couple mentioned they didn't buy any new clothing for a year and no one made fun of them. :-) The rule they had was if they couldn't use it up within a year then they wouldn't buy it.

2 -- More Storage. I think it said most households have 300,000 items in them. Something like that. And there are over 50,000 storage facilities in the United States. The article mentioned that was twice as many facilities as Starbucks. The bottom line is, we have way too much stuff. We don't need more storage we need to get rid of stuff. :-)

3 -- The Approval of Others. This is what made me want to post this today. People seem to equate the number of friends they have with their likability or see it as a status symbol. I would go so far as to say some people base their self-esteem on how many friends they have and how they feel others perceive them. Especially in this social media driven society in which we now live. How many people base their self-worth on how many Facebook friends they have? How many people are seriously devastated when they are "de-friended"? And even by people they barely know. I'm much too smart and too cool to have a Facebook account but if I did, I certainly would not be worried about people de-friending me or counting how many "friends" I have. And I most definitely would not be basing my self-worth on it.

I can tell you right now I can count my friends on one hand. And even then I probably wouldn't use all of my fingers. :-) And I have an overabundance of self-esteem. :-) My self-worth is not valued by what others think of me. Or how many friends I have.

My self-esteem is based on who I am and how I live my life. I am a child of God and I strive to live my life in a manner pleasing unto Him by keeping His commandments. That's where self-worth and happiness come from, not from our fellow man.

I think President Hinckley summed it up well when he said:

“I believe in myself. I do not mean to say this with egotism. But I believe in my capacity and in your capacity to do good" -- Gordon B. Hinckley, 1998

I agree with the author of the article when he said,"Here's a news flash for you: There is no bigger lie" referring to our self-worth being linked to others' perceptions of us.

The approval of others is definitely not a necessity -- and in fact our perception of such is detrimental. The constant need for approval most definitely negatively affects the lives of those who feel such. 

Live your life seeking the approval of God and not your fellow man and you will be brimming with self-confidence and happiness.

That's my two cents.