I have a long-term goal of living a more simple life, which is a far cry from where I was in my mid-twenties. When I was in the corporate world, my boss owned my time. And, since I didn’t own my time, I felt compelled to own things. I looked to my possessions to define me and represent who I was. The cycle was: get paid more, work more, buy more.
Then, some years ago, I heard the saying, “The things you own end up owning you.” My buying behavior came into perspective and I found myself buying fewer things, because I didn’t like the idea of being owned by my possessions (it was bad enough being owned by my boss – haha). It didn’t take long before I realized that I yearned to own my time, not material objects, and that I longed for a more simple life. (Here is a very cool story regarding stuff that further strengthened my resolve.)