More vs. Enough

Question: What happens when the government, institutions and consumers of the world’s leading economic power engage simultaneously in deliberate overconsumption? Answer: The Great Recession. This week’s Conversation is an excerpt from the fourth chapter of The Financial Crossroads, “More vs. Enough,” which has become one of my favorites because of the transformative power of its message. Here we feature a gentle but convicting “Timeless Truth” from my friend and co-author, Jim Stovall.

From… “More vs. Enough”:

**************************************

Timeless Truth

If your goal is to acquire a certain standard of living or lifestyle for you and your family or for your future security, this is admirable; however, if it is your burning desire to keep up with the image portrayed by the commercials on television or in the glamour magazines, you have been afflicted with the dreaded disease called more.

More is a disease which feeds upon itself like a thirst that can never be quenched. As we rush about aimlessly trying to accumulate more, we become aware of even a greater number of things we don’t have and must obtain. Instead of seeking the impossible goal of reaching more, we should, instead, seek the internal goal which is called enough.

Ironically, we can find people who are literally billionaires who have long ago lost count of all of their possessions; however, these people are still driven on that eternal quest for more. On the other hand, there are people of seemingly modest means who have attained the state of enough. They no longer judge themselves based on what they have, but instead, on who they are. They have come to the conclusion that it is more important to be someone special than to have a vast accumulation of possessions. They have reached a state of being where they understand that it is not important to be a “human having.” It is only important to arrive as a “human being.”

In the final analysis, many times reaching the state of enough will give you the confidence and peace of mind to be an even better person who will attract more success, resulting in the tangible possessions that have become such an addiction in our society. Focus on who you are, and allow what you have to become a result of your personal success.

- Jim Stovall

**************************************