Do I have enough?

I recently made a trip to Tanzania, one of the poorest countries in Africa. I can honestly say that anyone reading this has more than enough. In fact, you may have too much. One can’t help noticing the poverty in a country like Tanzania. What also struck me is the peaceful, gentle, nature of the Tanzanians. They seem happy and content even though they have so little. This is perhaps the greatest lesson that Africa can offer us.

Our social programming tells us that we must have more. We are bombarded with marketing that carries the same message. We have been sold on the idea that we can’t be happy with what we have. There is no rest. There is no satisfaction. As soon as we have the new car we think about how we can move up when we get the next one. If it isn’t cars it might be shoes, houses or even pets. Have you ever stepped back and asked yourself if any of these things really made you happy? If so, how long did that happiness last?

To be truly happy we need to be satisfied. There’s nothing wrong with wanting things, but can our desires rob us of satisfaction and thereby happiness? How long can you remain satisfied until the next best thing comes along? Are you on the “must have it” treadmill?

I invite you to step back and take a look at all the good things in your life. Look at the emotional and spiritual but also look at the material. Evaluate how much it is that you really have. Stuff is great, but, it’s just stuff. Every one of us already has enough to last us a life-time.

Connect with Brian