I was listening to a song by the John Butler Trio this morning - if you’ve never heard of them, they have a great earthy sound that has been described as reggae, blues, rock, tribal and ‘getting back to roots.’ One of the good things about this band is that their lyrics actually make you stop and think about things, instead of the meaningless drivel that makes up much of the top 40 hits!
The song I had playing was called ‘better than’: a song that makes reference to earthly possessions and being happy with what we’ve got. This is a great reminder for me about what’s important in life, especially because I too have been guilty of falling into the stereotypical “what can I buy next!” mode - not because I’m overly flippant with cash or possessions, but because some things look good when you don’t have them! It’s not too hard to start to think “yeah, that’d be great to have!”.
Big screen TV’s, new laptops, music DVD’s, new cars - these are all things that have appeal. This frame of thinking is also fuelled by constant pushes from all kinds of different sources such as the media, society and our peers. Better technology, more fuel efficient, higher resolution… We are constantly fed a message of you need to have something better, faster, stronger!
Lessons from life
One of the stories that helps put things into perspective for me is that of high profile figure Rene Rivkin - a flamboyant wealthy millionaire stockbroker, who was so unhappy he took his own life. Rene had amassed a ridiculous accumulation of mansions, cars and antiques, and was considered to be some kind of authority on the stock market - thousands of people subscribed to his weekly ‘Rivkin Report’.
While I don’t agree with much of what the man stood for or how he went about business, he was massively successful in what he did (from a money point of view that is, irrespective of being found guilty of insider trading at the end of his career!).
There are two quotes that Rene made on an interview with Andrew Denton that meant a lot to me, they were made in reference to money and happiness. If there’s anyone who we can learn from in terms of the value of material possessions and accumulated stuff, it’s from someone who actually has masses of it! He says:
“money doesn’t buy you happiness, Andrew. That’s for sure.”
“Happiness is better than money… As far as I’m concerned, the successful person on this planet is the happy person, and the unsuccessful person is the…um, is the unhappy person. You know, and it’s as simple as that.”
What a great statement to make. I hope to live my life with this in mind while I don’t have a lot of money, rather than learn it the hard way and hope money will buy you happiness. How often do you hear people talk about how they “just need to win the lottery this weekend!”.
Here’s a snip of the lyrics from Better Than by the John Butler Trio:
All you want is
What you can’t have
And if you just look around man
You see you got magic
So just sit back and relax
Enjoy it while you still have it
Don’t look back on life man and see only tragicBecause you could be better than that
Don’t let it get the better of you
What could be better than now
Life’s not about what’s better than
What about you, do you place high value on material things? Sometimes it’s hard not to, I guess the trick is finding some balance and not being in a place where you’re always wanting more.
![[Post to Twitter]](http://www.willitchangeyou.com/wp-content/plugins/tweet-this/tweet-this-small.png)
Tweet This
Stumble!
Digg
Subscribe
Del.icio.us
Leave a comment
Help support this site
Twitter
Blog Catalog
Time and time again, I find myself addicted to “the new”. Sometimes it’s new stuff, sometimes it’s just a new project. And it is SO frustrating to be in that place. It’s like a leaf being blown by the wind. One day it’s want want want on a particular item and next minute, that thing is all forgotten for some new thing. And if I’m lucky, the new thing grabs my attention BEFORE I buy into the first thing.
I am really appreciating your blog. Not so much for teaching new things, but for reminding me of the things I already know but need to be reminded of daily.
I recently heard something that stuck me - “Money isn’t the cause of happiness, and money isn’t the cause of unhappiness. Money just is.”
Thanks for the article. It just reminds us that when put faith in what is essentially a symbol, we are not looking at what we really want.
@mike - well put about being frustrated by being in a place where you want new things.. Thanks for your comments also!
@Lyman - Hi, welcome! Great quote, it’s good to remind ourselves of this because the natural tendency is to want more things and want more money..
It is unbelievably overwhelming what gadgets and designer this and that you waste money on.
Couple years back I was making a career move and relationship move.I had put in for a transfer to be closer to my BF at the time.
I was having a difficult time doing it.
1.I was taking any job at the company even if it met demotion for love.
2.Then the BF was giving me an ultimatum which is probably why I didn’t stick with him. What a slap in the face.
I had packed up most of my things storing them in the living but promising myself I would not open them until I decided if I was staying or moving.
I learned a lot in that time.Especially realized I had been wasting money on superficial items I hardly ever use. AND wasting time on a man that didn’t care about my own happiness.
I pride myself on saving more and spending it wisely.
I don’t have to keep up with my friends material assets.
Ross:
Great attitude. I really do appreciate the “things” I have. I was one of 8 children with a single mom in the 70’s so that explains my attitude. We really had to work for the “little” that we had, but I never once had a thought that I wasn’t safe or loved. I know-corny, but true. I was the luckiest and richest kid I knew! Still am. Thanks for the reminder.
It’s a great reminder to stop and take a look around and consciously ‘feel’ the gratitude for having all we already have and not ruin our present in wanting what could have been or wanting something that is not there! If we can all do that at least once a day, may be we’ll be a bit less stressed society if you think about it
thanks for sharing such nice thoughts Ross
Pearl
It’s like the gadgets that are supposed to free up our time, but only create new addictions and distractions. I’m learning to appreciate NOW and not regret yesterday or wish for tomorrow.
@Bunny - Being blinded by love, that’s a whole web site in itself! Well done with your current spending habits!
@Blogger - You’re definitely right in saying you appreciate things a lot more when you come from not having much - thanks for the comment.
@Pearl - “feel the gratitude”, I love this saying. Thanks for giving your input!
@Clara - I hope I can be as confident as you are in appreciating the here and now! I’ve also always tried to have a ‘deal with things as they are now’ attitude rather than a ‘what if’ one….! Thanks for your comment.
Great article! Two things come to mind after reading it. “Happiness is not getting what you want but wanting what you have.”, and “Happiness comes from within not from without.”
Hi caanlu - I like what you’ve said about happiness coming from within, so many people look for external things to fill a void…