{"id":18616,"date":"2018-06-25T15:08:34","date_gmt":"2018-06-25T22:08:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.becomingminimalist.com\/?p=18616"},"modified":"2022-02-15T06:24:25","modified_gmt":"2022-02-15T13:24:25","slug":"4-monkeys-of-materialism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.becomingminimalist.com\/4-monkeys-of-materialism\/","title":{"rendered":"So Why Isn\u2019t Everyone a Minimalist: The Four Monkeys of Materialism"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor\u2019s Note: This is a guest post from\u00a0Tara Button<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Imagine there was a pill. It lessened your debt, made you more fulfilled, saved the planet, and tidied up your house for you. (Side effects might include smiling more.) What if that pill existed\u2026?<\/p>\n

I mean, everyone would be taking that pill. People would pay big bucks for that pill. All you would see on TV would be ads for this pill. All the big pharma companies would try to patent it.<\/p>\n

But here\u2019s the best part: the pill is free!<\/p>\n

Minimalism, which I define as only bringing objects into your life which you have mindfully chosen to help you live your unique purpose, is a magic medicine.<\/p>\n

So why hasn\u2019t the whole of the USA swallowed the pill? Why has the minimalist movement, while passionate and growing, not been taken on instantly across America and the world?<\/p>\n

I reasoned that there must be something fighting against us taking that magic medicine. While making my own minimalist journey for my book, A Life Less Throwaway<\/a>, I found out what that was.<\/p>\n

As we try to get the pill to our mouths, there are four jabbering, distracting, monkeys hanging off our arm. Yes, really.<\/p>\n

Let me introduce you to the four monkeys of materialism <\/em>and what we can do to overcome them. <\/em><\/p>\n

Monkey One \u2013 The Advertising Monkey<\/strong><\/p>\n

The first monkey is insisting, hundreds<\/em> of times a day, that buying this thing or that thing will make us happier, healthier, more beautiful and likable. We mainly ignore this monkey. We think we can\u2019t hear it and that what it\u2019s saying isn\u2019t going into our heads, but it is. (Otherwise advertisers wouldn\u2019t spend the money to make ads.)<\/p>\n

While our conscious brain might be musing other things, this monkey is clever. It speaks directly to those bits of our brains we don\u2019t control, the bits that create deeply hidden urges and impulse buying.<\/p>\n

We must mute this monkey if we can, and teach our kids to mute it on the TV and internet, too. Where ads are unavoidable, like on the street, break their power by becoming mindful of them. Look the monkey straight in the eye and say, \u201cI\u2019m good just the way I am, thanks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Engaging this monkey consciously and confidently is the only way to quiet it.<\/p>\n

Monkey Two \u2013 The Trend Monkey <\/strong><\/p>\n

The second monkey makes fun of your shoes! It\u2019s telling you, \u201cYou can\u2019t possibly wear that<\/em> again, everyone has seen you in it. Besides, it\u2019s out of style.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the monkey that points out that your couch is \u201ca bit 90’s\u201d and hypnotizes you into thinking that things you used to love have somehow stopped being beautiful and interesting.<\/p>\n

This monkey can be silenced by taking the time to dig deep into your unique sense of style.<\/p>\n

Spend a few hours really considering which colours look great on your body, and calm and inspire you in a home environment. Put in a weekend to nail down the shapes and textures that make you happiest.<\/p>\n

When you consciously build a sense of your own aesthetic, you can then dismiss the fads and tell the trend monkey you don\u2019t give a hoot if \u201cspots are in\u201d and \u201cstripes are out\u201d because you\u2019ve taken the time to find what makes you feel fabulous forever.<\/p>\n

Monkey Three – The Status Monkey<\/strong><\/p>\n

The status monkey is the trend monkey\u2019s evil twin. This monkey lives inside your head and is constantly pointing out to you what other people have and whether they are \u201cabove\u201d or \u201cbelow\u201d you.<\/p>\n

This monkey is obsessed with being on top, because in ancient times, a human with low status might get kicked out of the tribe and starve. This is one paranoid monkey!<\/p>\n

So now it hisses in your ear, \u201cWe have the worst house on the street, the oldest car. Look how big that woman\u2019s engagement ring is. Everyone else gets new backpacks for their kids each year.\u201d<\/p>\n

The status monkey is massively encouraged by the advertising monkey. Models look haughty in advertising and on the catwalk because, whether they know it or not, they are trying to activate this monkey in your head.<\/p>\n

The monkey sees the ad and says, \u201cSee how she\u2019s looking at you? That means you\u2019re below her! If you buy this designer bag, then we can go up a level and feel higher, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kids can suffer cruelly under the tyranny of the status monkey. \u201cEveryone else has one!\u201d is a familiar cry.<\/p>\n

Working on getting self-worth from what you do<\/em> and who you are<\/em>, rather than what you have<\/em>, is the only way to quiet this monkey.<\/p>\n

Ask your kids why they are pals with their friends. It will never be because they have the latest toy, but because they are fun or kind – intrinsic things. Reassure your kids that it\u2019s this stuff that other kids care about too. Reassure yourself of this too, while you\u2019re at it.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been shown that whether you\u2019re rich or poor, how you feel<\/em> about your status can affect your immune system and actually shorten or lengthen your life.<\/p>\n

So please, don\u2019t let the status monkey trick you into thinking that people with more stuff or more expensive stuff have higher status. You give yourself your status.<\/p>\n

Calm this monkey by telling it that you appreciate it looking out for your survival, but it doesn\u2019t need to worry because you\u2019re king of the jungle where it counts.<\/p>\n

Monkey Four – The Attachment Monkey<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many of us want to declutter and let go of excess items that aren\u2019t adding to our happiness. However, the attachment monkey clings hold of all<\/em> of your possessions, no matter what, and makes big monkey eyes at you.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow could you possibly let this go! It\u2019s yours! You spent money on it! It\u2019s worth something! What if you need it? It reminds you of someone. Maybe you\u2019ll use it someday!\u201d<\/p>\n

This monkey needs to understand that objects which aren\u2019t being used or appreciated are non-objects. In fact, they are draining, negative objects. They\u2019re just clutter, and a waste of the materials and time that went into making them. The mere fact that you own them isn\u2019t a reason in itself to keep them.<\/p>\n

How can we beat this monkey?<\/p>\n

Well, if the monkey says you might use an object one day, choose a specific time limit. Write the date on a sticker and put it on the object. Make a deal with the monkey. This is that objects expiry date. If you haven\u2019t used or appreciated it before the date goes up, it goes.<\/p>\n

If it is the waste of money that bothers the monkey, try and sell it to make a return. But think of it this way, it\u2019s even more<\/em> a waste of money if it\u2019s sitting there making you feel guilty. Who wants to spend money on an object that makes them feel bad every time they see it?<\/p>\n

When it comes to mementos, instead of clinging to them all, satisfy the monkey by picking one or two special items that can do the job of all the items you don\u2019t use or look at.<\/p>\n

These four monkeys all claim to have our best interests at heart, but at the same time they\u2019re all trying their very best to stop us doing what will actually make us happier, less debt-ridden and more connected to what really matters.<\/p>\n

Treat them as you would treat any monkey: kindly but firmly.<\/p>\n

Say, \u201cThanks so much for the advice, but at the end of the day, you do not know what\u2019s best for me\u2026 you\u2019re a monkey.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then take the pill.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Tara Button is the creator of Buy Me Once. She is also the author of A Life Less Throwaway: The Lost Art of Buying for Life<\/a><\/em>. Through her writing and speaking, she inspires a lifestyle of reliable and responsible consumption.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Editor\u2019s Note: This is a guest post from\u00a0Tara Button. Imagine there was a pill. It lessened your debt, made you more fulfilled, saved the planet, and tidied up your house for you. (Side effects might include smiling more.) What if that pill existed\u2026? I mean, everyone would be taking that pill. People would pay big […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[440],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nSo Why Isn\u2019t Everyone a Minimalist: The Four Monkeys of Materialism<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.becomingminimalist.com\/4-monkeys-of-materialism\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"So Why Isn\u2019t Everyone a Minimalist: The Four Monkeys of Materialism\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Editor\u2019s Note: This is a guest post from\u00a0Tara Button. 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