At this point in our lives, many of us are trying to make our money through part-time or on and off jobs. While we have responsibilities to attend to, we often have access to luxuries. Whether those luxuries are valuable experiences or obsolete products are a matter in their own.
We live in a world of open-loop production. We walk through malls and see advertisements practically yelling at us to get the next big thing, successfully convincing many that whatever they have at the moment isn't good enough. So we divulge.
Perhaps we shouldn't be throwing our hard-earned money towards the next big thing which is actually going to be the next obsolete thing. We're only perpetuating a life of clutter when we add more and more things that we think will contribute to our happiness. Perhaps we should be investing more in experiences.
There is no doubt that having nice possessions can bring happiness to our lives. We look to them to add to our image, and there is a certain level of satisfaction knowing that we own something of quality and a renowned name. However, there is a fine line in gaining satisfaction from it and relying on it to add a feeling of prosperity at the risk of emptying our wallets and achieving the exact opposite. While many experiences themselves are not free of charge, there are many ways in which they can add more to our lives than mere objects.
You can't just give them away
No matter how nice that Fossil watch is, one day it will look a little too worn or stop working altogether. Or, one day you'll decide you'd rather have a Michael Kors. So you either throw it out or give it away. Experiences on the other hand, are something for your memories and the people you shared them with. The only thing you can pass down from a road trip are the stories you're going to tell over and over again without boredom.
You cherish them more
If we're talking quantity over quality, the things we buy last longer than the experiences we partake in. But quantity over quality lends too much to the impersonal. We can easily stuff the designer shoes we bought in the back of our closets and forget that we own them. But experiences can give us so much more satisfaction because we are more conscious of the fact that they are going to have a deadline, so we take in more of it.
You can share them simultaneously
There's a certain joy in being able to share certain things with the people who matter in life. We're more reluctant to share a valuable possession, but even if we do we can't have them at the same time as the person we gave it to. Stopping at a scenic route on the way to our destination or acting shamelessly like a tourist at a popular location is something you can do at the same time with someone else, exponentially increasing the happiness you gain from it.
You can personalize them
Whatever brand name product you are carrying was most likely mass produced. While it's great that it brings happiness to you and hundreds of thousands of other people around the world, there is nothing exclusive about the experience of owning it. Nowadays it seems that Michael Kors purses reproduce on their own. However, a vacation you plan with family or friends, or a day spent exploring your city is something you can add a personal touch to. No travel itinerary is the same, and no person sees the world the same way that you do.
So the next time you're aimlessly adding products to your online shopping cart, think about the next experience you could be saving up for. The build up to it will only make you more excited for it, and actually living through all of it will bring you a joy in its own.
