Steve Sanduski wrote an article called "2,500 Years of Thinking About 'How Much is Enough?'," that begins with a quote that says the current generations aren't working hard enough and they are the happiest they've ever been. Why is that?
Sanduski explains that he was recently talking with his financial advisor, and she had mentioned a client who was near retirement age but was worried if he had" enough." This client had spent his life working with other people who had millions of dollars and multiple homes. His single-family home and a good retirement lump sum no longer seemed like enough.
One thing almost all humans do is play the comparison game. With social media flooding our notifications and people posting a "look at me" selfie showing off how great their new house or new paycheck is, the weight of your life feeling not as great as your neighbor’s starts to enclose all around you.
Sanduski realizes that everyone has felt like this at one point or another, but this isn't a new topic of conversation. Philosophers have been discussing this feeling of having or being "enough" for 2,500 years.
So ask yourself - How much is enough? What is the minimum amount of enough for me? How much is too much? How do I know how much enough is?
Everyone has different answer. Everyone values different things in life. The simplest answer? Contentment.
No matter how much money you have, you will always be chasing more, never feeling full of the materialistic things life hasn’t brought you. Instead, rejoice with what you have.
A philosopher from the 1800s, Adam Smith, warns us that “wealth often fails to deliver the happiness people expect it to bring.” This is not to say you shouldn’t go on that vacation or you shouldn’t buy your dream car – you should.
Don’t get caught up in the overabundance of material items, or the number you see rising and falling on your computer. Enjoy your life knowing that money is a river, constantly flowing in and out.
At the end of the article, Sanduski demonstrates everyone has struggled with the idea of "how much is enough?" He states that "enough" is defined by two things: values and mindset.
Returning to the quote mentioned at the beginning of the article, younger generations appear more focused on what "enough" means to them. When you focus on the non-materialistic needs, you realize it doesn't cost as much as you thought.
https://stevesanduski.com/2500-years-of-thinking-about-how-much-is-enough/
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