“I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.” —Jim Carrey
Our world applauds success. And well it should. It is entirely appropriate to champion those who develop their talents, work hard, and overcome obstacles. There are many successful people I admire in my own life.
But our world is also fixated on praising excess. We are not the first society to worship conspicuous consumption, but we do continue the practice.
Magazines overexpose the details of the rich and famous. News publications rank those with the greatest net worth. Reality television applauds the lifestyle of those who live in luxury. And the Internet attracts readers with countless stories about them.
Even in our own lives, we do the same. We comment on the size of the houses in the neighborhood down the street. We point out the luxury car in the lane next to us. We envy fashionable clothes and designer handbags.
We desire to live the life of those who seem to have it all. In our hearts and in our affections, we praise those who live with excess.
But we are making a big mistake.
Success and excess are not the same.
7 Reasons Why We Should Stop Praising Excess.
1. Excess is often arbitrary. Sometimes, financial gain is achieved through hard work, dedication, and devoted discipline. But not always. Often times, wealth is only a result of heritage, dishonesty, or just plain luck. In those cases, no praise has been earned. And telling the difference is often more difficult than we realize.
2. Excess is rarely the wisest use of our money. Harvey Mackay once said, “If you can afford a fancy car, you can make more of an impact driving an ordinary one.” His statement is true. There are better things to do with our money than spend it on ourselves. This advice stands as wisdom when purchasing cars, houses, clothes, or technology. Just because you have the financial resources to afford excess, that does not mean it is the best option for your life. We should stop praising those who use it exclusively to that end.
3. Excess adds stress and anxiety to our lives. Not only is there a greater good that could be accomplished with our money, but increased possessions add burden and weight to our lives. Every increased possession adds increased worry. It becomes one more thing to manage, store, repair, and remove. Adding extra burden to our already short lives seems like a foolish thing to admire.
4. Excess is harming the environment around us. It is difficult to ignore the impact our praise of excess has meant on the earth. Perhaps Gandhi said it best, “The world has enough for everyone’s need, but not enough for everyone’s greed.” Holding up those who flaunt their excess as an example to follow is hardly a wise decision for anyone’s future.
5. Excess causes us to praise the wrong things. Our world keeps checking the wrong scoreboard. Those who live in excess are not necessarily the ones who live the most fulfilled lives. Often times, it is those who live quietly, humbly, and in the service of others who are the happiest. Those are the choices we should be praising and those are the lives we should be emulating.
6. Excess causes us to lose sight of the things we already have. It is impossible to find peace, gratitude, and contentment while holding on to envy of those who have more. Unfortunately, we do it all the time. Admiration is a healthy emotion, but envy is not. And choosing to exalt those who flaunt their excess results only in greater discontent.
7. Excess is not the answer. Everyone is looking for answers to the most important questions we are asking: What is the purpose of this life? Where can I find fulfillment? And what does it mean to live an abundant life? These are difficult questions with difficult answers. But surely, “owning as much stuff as possible” is not the answer to any of them. There are greater pursuits available to us than excess. But they can be difficult to discover when all our energies are being directed at the wrong things.
Admire success. But do not praise excess. Our society is longing for people who can tell the difference. (tweet that)
As I grown into my pursuit of more frugal minimalism, I found I don’t envy or resent success, however I pity those who obviously don’t have it, spending their entire futures trying to buy class.
??????????awesome!
Excuse me? This quote from Jim Carrey, who demands 20 MILLION dollars for each movie he makes? And he’s saying people shouldn’t want so much stuff?
I can’t beat on that hes getting what he is asking for.
Whenever my husband and I drive throu a neighbourhood of ‘excess’ (by our definition) he always comments, ‘Funny thing is…..as you drive. By the house you can’t tell who is debt free and who is hundreds of thousands in debt.
We live in a small bungalow, retired now, mortgage free for years already. We thought of and planned for the educations of our two kids from the time they took their first breaths. we treated ourselves to our first new car in 34 years when hubby retired. We have always respected and been grateful for our belongings but life has never revolved around them. While much of the rest of the world flocks to Disneyworld, we retreat to a small rented cottage with kids and baby grand daughters to make sand castles and splash in the lake.
I would not change my life for the world.
Bonni I love the life you lived, sounds so very rewarding. I do wish that for everyone.
Sometimes others think those of us who choose a more minimalist ic approach are stuck in a sort of sour grapes mentality. It is not necessary to have lived with great excess to know it does not feed the soul. The wisest ones among us are those can can learn from the experiences of others. Simple is simply simpler, you know?
You put into words what I have always believed to be true. It is so important to find the balance between working hard to succeed and having success become an idol. Thank you for the thoughtful post!
My mom is in the hospital and I had such plans. I was going to move her near me and now I couldn’t. Instead, I went to the hospital each day to see her and came home to clean out her condo. She stocked up on so many things and had so many boxes of books and magazines. Because they were moldy the library wouldn’t take them. I had to throw out so many things. This was after I had decided about a year ago to be a minimalist. Every week I had given a bag or two to Goodwill, or taken a bag of art supplies to a preschool. My mom had lived during the Depression and been an orphan from World War II, she couldn’t throw out anything. I grew up in a house where every cupboard and closet was full, and my reaction was to live simply. I never was very interested in clothes, but I did buy art supplies. When my mom gets better I’m going to move her to a senior apartment about 400 sq ft. right near me so I can go over there every week and keep her from piling up so much stuff.
Thanks so much for your thoughts on excess. Many years ago I read “Your Money of your Life” and it made me think about the life energy each and every purchase cost me. I started thinking more about do I really need another unnecessary something or other that is sucking my time? No. I think not.
I too, once adhered to the idea that stuff = success = self – worth but on the morning of August 12th, 2013 I awoke to a major stroke at the age of 55 and that radically changed my thinking. I found this blog and others like it and starting bit by bit, day by day giving away the excess. my stuff no longer had any appeal for me and in fact may have led to my own downfall by working way to hard and too much. Today my house is serene, uncluttered and streamlined. My goals are different. I am now back to work as a Nurse Manager for a nursing home less than a mile from my house and I approach my work differently. I am there to serve the residents and my community, not to work for material goods. I go home and sit still and just listen to the sounds of nature instead of shopping online. Life is good.
“I go home and sit still and just listen to the sounds of nature instead of shopping online. Life is good”. The dream was aways within grasp.
always
Excess, I fear, is a mere distraction from peoples’ true anxieties and worries in life and until they address their personal reasons, they will continue to seek more!
I loved the opening Jim Carrey quote. I could only imagine what life experiences lead him to come to that profound conclusion.
I just interviewed a number of minimalist bloggers for a post on my blog, and nearly everyone said that they had once fallen for the more stuff = success trap. It’s pretty deeply ingrained in society!
Here’s a post I wrote that might help some people who are just getting started decluttering and living with less: http://ourjourneytoithaca.com/2014/07/30/minimalism-a-beginners-guide-revised-version/