Less is More

Remember the saying

He who dies with the most toys wins
I think it is due time to examine our values
To wake up and realize
He with the highest of scores
Is he who has learned that needing less
Gives you so much more

Hello everyone,

I hope that you all had a safe and fun Halloween. I was able to volunteer in my daughter’s classroom for part of the day and what a gift and treat that was for me. It reminded me of the simple things in life and that it is possible to have a great time without affecting my checking account. As I sat in this moment of “some of the best things in life are free” I decided to share my thoughts around money and what I’ve learned this week.

Due to the state of the economy, we have all had to cut back and reduce our spending. We’ve had to cut corners and some have even had to make very difficult decisions such as home foreclosure and filing bankruptcy. One of my greatest secrets that held so much shame was the amount of credit I had racked up. I became one of the statistics that was living on credit and was in denial about the damage that it could do. Not only did being in denial and hiding this shame create issues with my credit report, but it caused some irrevocable damage to a certain relationship in my life. I am not writing this blog to talk about my shame and how I kept it hidden. That’s a whole other story in itself. Instead today, I am going to write about the gift of this shame.

The gift I have been given is the gift of making new choices and finding the pleasure in little things and yes, living with less than what I was used to. I was used to being able to buy what I wanted when I wanted. Shopping was my addiction and in order to break that addiction, I had to sign up with a debt management company and get rid of all my credit cards. I can now celebrate living within my means and not using credit cards for over a year now. Though this hasn’t always been fun or easy, living with less has given me so much more. I have learned to take better care of my things and appreciate what I have. And now when I treat myself every once in a while to a nice meal or even a delicious latte, I savor the moment and not take it for granted. I make sure to hang up my clothes after work or after they come out of the dryer and when I go to bed at night, I am grateful for the roof over my head and the bed I have to sleep in along with so many other priceless things, my family, my friends, my community and the list goes on.

It has been said that there is a purpose for everything under heaven and maybe the purpose for the economy crisis is to teach us how to live in appreciation and gratitude for everything that we do have.

Food for thought (thoughts are free after all)…

With respect and humility,

Mary Laughlin Cunningham