“Enough” is an interesting word. A quick dictionary definition is: “As much or as many as required.”
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately about how much is enough for me. I’m probably the first human in my family line to ever consider this question.
For all but the most recent human history, our ancestors never had enough. Not enough food, not enough comfort, not enough resources, not enough healthcare and medicine, not enough freedom (of all types), not enough mobility. Not enough of basically anything and everything. Not having enough often resulted in death.
There’s another term, the Hedonic Treadmill, which basically addresses the human tendency of adapting to good things, positive changes, and then having it become the new normal, and no longer being good enough. It explains how modern humans can be so well off compared to their recent ancestors, and yet be so unhappy.
I can clearly recall a time in my 30s that I achieved a financial milestone, and yet today I’d never be able to live on that, because my life has expanded too much.
I recalibrated a new lifestyle goal when I was 45 years old. I’ve made a conscious decision that I’m at “enough”. Enough house, enough car, enough lifestyle, enough consumption.
And it feels… amazing. Liberating.
When I talk about a dream lifestyle, there’s the “stuff” that facilitates that, and then there’s the liberation felt from getting off the Hedonic Treadmill. It’s a key action. Otherwise you will find yourself adapting to your new standard, and be craving more and more.
There’s a part of me that’s still looking to expand, and I’m finding new ways to channel that expansion. My next (and greatest) chapter is not connected with wealth. I’m expanding my impact on the planet. I’m expanding the good I can do. I’m expanding the depth of relationships I have in my life. I’m expanding my message. I’m expanding the peace I feel in my life.
I’m also finding a way to live in alignment with my mission of being part of climate solutions, and living with “enough” will contribute to that. If nothing else, by modeling that it’s even a thing.
Here’s how to find “enough” and get off the Hedonic Treadmill, and live a dream life:
- Practice gratitude for what you have. I spent a year practicing gratitude for all the little things in my life, every day.
- Define what “enough” is. What is your upper limit? And vow that once you get there you stay there.
- Find new outlets to feed your human craving of expansion that doesn’t involve consuming more.
- Be vigilant of “Lifestyle Creep”. Small decisions are easy to say yes to, but as the years pass you may find yourself living a lifestyle that will be impossible to give up. And the cycle continues.
- Be kind to yourself as you navigate this path. This is uncharted human history. You are blazing a trail, and may not always get it right.
