The Law Of Diminishing Returns And Your Happiness
The law of diminishing returns or depreciation ,,,,,,, cars, phones and other items worth less every moment, every day.
We are more willing sometimes to spend money on things that are worth next to nothing tomorrow, in order to feel good today, essentially losing value continually. We seem to be more willing to invest in things that will continually bring us less satisfaction and value then we are to invest in things that will make us feel increasingly better everyday. That can be thought of as the law of diminishing returns – the more money we pour into it, the less it returns per dollar. And depreciation, the longer we have it – the less it’s worth. It’s a lose/lose situation. And yet we continue to pour money into it.
What if we did that with our health? No doctor, I don’t want you to set my broken leg, that’s too much money. I’ll just buy a new pair of shoes to account for the height difference in my legs. The new shoes will make me look cool! And so will the next pair, and the next, and so on.
Some people use that type of thinking with their place of residence vs their car. How many times have you driven through a sketchy neighborhood but seen much more expensive cars and car accessories than you would have expected. Then you drive through an expensive neighborhood with well taken care of homes, and used/less expensive cars in the drive way. Examples: Mark Zuckerberg – billionaire – drives a car worth less than 30,000 new, Warren Buffett (worth 60 BILLION) drives a Lincoln Towncar he bought in 2001 (and still lives in his 5 br house bought in the 50’s).
Buying Things To Feel Better
When you think about all of the things we buy trying to feel better, do better, feel we’re enough, and more; what if we invested in something that actually helps? Helps us feel better, do better, feel we’re enough, feel we’re okay, feel we’re acceptable, reduce or eliminate pain. I’ll bet if that was the advertisement on nighttime TV, with an “easy, weekly payment plan”, we’d be dialing immediately.
So why not grab that phone and call a counselor to set up an appointment. Because research (and people who’ve tried and invested time and money into it) shows that counseling not only helps with the issue currently, it changes things. It changes you, which changes the choices you make, which changes what’s in your life and how you feel about it. It changes how and how much you interact with others, which helps you move toward those dreams and goals you choose to make you feel better. And even, dare I say it, move toward being happier.
What if this time, you invest in something you’ll be able to enjoy every day – a healthier, happier, more comfortable, You! And it doesn’t depreciate, it builds better choices and outcomes. It may need to be tweaked now and then (as does pretty much anything valuable) and it will be even more valuable to you in the future. The future you created from your truer, empowered self. Plus the satisfaction that you finally made a healthy choice – your health. So maybe the new list of resolutions: eat healthier, exercise, go to counseling.
No one can ever take that away from you.