Busiest shopping weekend of the year. Black Friday sales. Christmas Specials. Deals, ...

... deals, deals.

What are you buying?
Why are you buying it?

I love clothing and fashion. I love cool new electronics. I enjoy the novelty of new stuff. I don’t think this is wrong. But I’ve also been able to see the parts of me that have been deeply attaching my worth to the items that I’ve owned.

This last year and a half of nomadic living, going months at a time with nothing but a carry-on suitcase and backpack, dramatically shifted my relationship to my belongings. Suddenly, I was wearing the same clothes all the time. I don’t even own a car. My old clothes were brand new again when I got a chance to exchange them in LA.

So what came with this? I saw my worry of judgement fade away. Feeling like the friends I was making liked me for me, because it wasn’t about where I lived, what I drove, or my fancy clothes. And I also noticed that I started to appreciate what I had so much more. When you only have one pair of shoes, you learn to love them. More than I ever did when I owned 40+.

And as I started to appreciate my purchases more, I started to become more particular. I stopped shopping at large retailers that sell cheap clothes from poor working conditions. I avoided putting my money, my energy, towards businesses that weren’t conscious about their global impact. I took the idea of “voting with my dollar” far more seriously.

This post is not to suck the fun out of your consumerism. We all buy things. Let’s just do it consciously. Let’s know our WHY.

Buy the things you want.
Love the things you buy.

Just remember that none of it makes you more worthy of love. Or less.