Power of Possessions

During this often stressful time of overconsumption and overspending, I wanted to share with you an article that's hung on my bulletin board for many years, author unknown.

Less is best. The less you have, the less you will have to take care of. Really! Material goods gobble your time and energy. Most people I know are slaves to their possessions and don't know it. Here are some facts to ponder:

* Possessions clutter. Casually placed possessions clutter tabletops, closets, counters and garages. Putting stuff away can take hours.

* Possessions cost more than the original price. You spend additional time storing, repairing, protecting, cleaning, and catering to them, and time is worth money.

* Possessions need cleaning. Do you enjoy washing, dusting, polishing, soaking, scouring and scraping? Even minimal cleaning is time consuming.

* Possessions create errands. How many times a year do you drive to buy, repair and clean your things? How many hours waiting in store lines and looking for parking?

* Possessions are worrisome. Fretting about breakage, loss, theft, fire, repairs and insurance premiums clutters our minds. Every item let go of is one less worry.

* Possessions need organizing. Things need to be alphabetized, color coded, sorted and grouped, for sanity's sake.

* Possessions get lost. The less you have, the less you have to lose.

* Possessions depreciate. Things that spot, rust, crumble, dent, fray and come unglued lose value. Invest in yourself, not things.

* Possessions are climbed over, hidden, apologized for and argued over. How much more do you need to know?

* Possessions encourage greed. Materialistic people tend to compete with their neighbors, brag, hoard and constantly desire more. They're seldom satisfied with what they've got.

Working hard to maintain an over-materialized lifestyle puts stress on your relationships and your finances. It's a major cause of divorce, bankruptcy, job dissatisfaction, and declining mental and physical health. Possessions have the power to own more of you than you own of them. Think about that. Maybe you should return some of that unnecessary "stuff" you get this year and save yourself the headache!