“Like our stomachs, our minds are hurt more often by overeating than by hunger.”

— Petrarch, 14^th-Century Italian Poet

All ads come with a big, implicit promise: “Just pull out your wallet once more, and you’ll be happy.”

But when we’re bombarded by 4000 to 10000 advertisements every single day[1], the promise starts to lose its power. It no longer makes sense. If the key to happiness is one more purchase, then why are 4000 others trying to get our card info in exchange for a product that claims the very same thing?

The math doesn’t add up. And they know it.

So, the promise morphs into a more primal force; a lifestyle of consumption that’s justified only by one reason—everybody else does it too.

That’s when Petrarch’s prophecy unfolds. We overeat and hurt ourselves—physically, mentally, and financially.

The Consumerism Culture…

…keeps us stuck.

What began in the 1950s to trigger economic prosperity has now transformed into a self-perpetuating monster that drains our happiness (and our wallets).

After the Great Depression and World War II, the global economy was in shambles. Most of the world had populations that believed in conserving resources, especially finite ones like money.

But to trigger economic growth and prosperity, people had to buy goods so that companies could justify making more of them.

Business was no longer about fulfilling demand but creating it through constant advertisements. And now we’re in a culture where all our core emotions like fear, desire, insecurity, love, and happiness are an open wound, and spending money is the band-aid.

Over the decades, we have wired ourselves to spend for the sake of it, trade-in for a new car model just because it’s new, buy the new phone just because it was released, and watch the latest show to make sure we are part of tomorrow’s conversation online that everyone will forget the day after.

We’ve commoditized joy, pleasure, happiness, and success to mean ‘more, bigger, better, faster, newer’ and all the other adjectives that make us pull out our wallets without ever considering, “Why?”

And the result is our world today.

85% of Canadians live paycheck to paycheck. In America, that’s 67%. It’s 80% in India and about 50% in Europe.

Overspending, overbuying, and overconsuming hurt us. We feel empty. We’re hoarders who stop thinking clearly and keep stuffing our world without planning for the future.

When we attempt to escape, we jump to the other extreme.

The Minimalism Culture…

…that’s just too impractical.

Fueled by the internet and the idea of being a digital nomad, we put a spin on Petrarch’s saying, swinging over to starving instead.

A few of us might find happiness in having no permanent home, sleeping on the floor of studio apartments, or living frugally out of a van. Therefore, minimalism is not a bad philosophy. It teaches us to be intentional. 

But if we step beyond the ideals it promises to see reality as it is, we’ll realize that it isn’t doable.

Suffering under the guise of frugality is no means to a happy and simple life. It is important to secure yourself financially, build some certainty in your world by making crucial purchases, and use your money to do (and buy) things that truly add value and joy to your life.

Both of these cultures are extreme. One leads to suffocation and overwhelm, the other to unfulfilled desires and painful frugality.

That’s why the most effective solution is in the middle. Something that I call…

Enoughism: The Practical Culture

Petrarch’s saying contains profound wisdom. He warns us against overeating (for the mind) but doesn’t say that we should starve or stay hungry.

Eat the right, enriching foods enough, and your body will thank you. 
Consume enriching ideas that make you think better, and your mind will thank you.
Buy the right products and services with a clear intention, and your wallet + your future self will thank you.

We can call this a lot of things, but the name ‘Enoughism’ captures the right essence. Nothing more. Nothing less. We’re neither compromising nor overconsuming. 

It’s a simple idea that begins with a simple question, “What do I want out of life?”

Not what the world says you should want. Not what the advertisers say you need. Not what the Black Friday discount promises. Just what YOU WANT.

This acts as a reference point for all your major decisions. If you see a lucrative offer that makes you drool like a dog, it’s a sign to go back to the reference point and ask yourself, “Why? Is this something that I truly need or want? Does it align with what I want?”

With a simple pause, you will drastically reduce the chance of regretting your decision. 

And that’s the core idea:

• Think for your future self and build a healthy foundation (physical, mental, and financial)
• Buy and consume with intention. Build a habit of asking, ‘Why?’ each time you whip out your wallet for something that’s not a need. Make sure the intention is clear, then move ahead.
• Do not buy or upgrade stuff for the sake of it.
• Do not consume content and digital services mindlessly just because everyone else is.

I live by these principles, and they’ve made my life simpler and happier. 

Let’s take tech as an example. I bought a MacBook one and a half years ago. It was the latest model that met my needs as a creator, writer, and business owner. It’s a great device that helps me work better. It was a big purchase, but I was clear on my intention. And it has served me well.

On the other hand, I’ve been using the same phone for the last four years. It works fine. It does its job well. And I won’t need a new one unless this breaks or becomes archaic in a way that hampers my work or needs.

On the software side, I don’t pay for Netflix because I don’t have time to binge-watch, but I do pay for Spotify because I don’t like listening to ads while belting out to my favorite tunes.

So, when I see that ad for the latest phone or the new Netflix show, I don’t even think about it because I’ve conditioned myself to be intentional about consumption. You can, too.

It’s a simple idea. And that’s the beauty of it.

All it takes is a momentary pause where you ask, “Why?”

It takes less than two seconds every time you ask it, but it gives you a lifetime of clarity in return.

Sounds like a fair deal to me. What about you?