Category: Energy

Do We Have Too Much Stuff?

In many ways, our society is based on the idea of buying things. It helps keep our economy active, but does it lead to us having too much stuff?

Having a healthy economy seems to be good for everyone. Companies have the resources to produce goods, workers have money to buy those goods, and owners can turn a profit. Everyone wins, right?

Of course, it is not that simple. One problem we are seeing is that people buy things without necessarily having the money to be able to afford them. Credit, in the form of loans or credit cards, make it all too easy to buy things without necessarily having the money for them.

Another issue is with the environment. Making goods takes resources and energy, and those are available in finite quantities. Our consumer culture is leading to the depletion of natural resources, or environmental devastation in the effort to get more.

The primary problem we are talking about today regards the accumulation of stuff. In a consumer culture, an entire industry has been created around convincing you that you need to buy the latest tech, another car, tchotchkes and doodads of all sorts.

Some people have a problem with hoarding, bringing item after item into their home and never throwing anything out. Others move their excess stuff to a storage locker, if they have too much to fit in the home where they live. Or perhaps things just get dumped in a landfill if we no longer have space.

Is this a real problem in our society? Are we living in an unsustainable way when it comes to our belongings? Or is it just a case of some people having too much disposable income and too little self control?

Related questions: How much is enough? What material possession means the most to you? What possessions of yours will someone want when you die? How many pairs of shoes do you own?

At What Temperature Do You Turn On Air Conditioning?

Maybe you try to hold out as long as possible, or perhaps you turn on the air conditioning as soon as you can. What is the temperature where you need relief from the heat?

Share why if you wish.

What Keeps You Motivated?

It is one thing to get motivated to take a risk or to start something new. It is another to maintain that motivation.

It is an all too common story: you are excited to start something new.  That excitement wanes, however, as you get into mundane — but necessary — tasks. It might even ebb so low that you forego the project altogether.

As it turns out, there are two different, yet equally important, steps. One is to work up the motivation necessary to begin. The other is to remain motivated, through all the ups and downs that may follow.

Building the initial excitement is not a trivial task. But let’s assume for a moment that you can work up the necessary enthusiasm. How do you keep motivated, or at the very least, keep working despite fading energy?

Do you continually remind yourself of the end goal you are trying to achieve? Or do you enlist the help of others that you hope will motivate you? Do you try and structure the project so there are a number of accomplishments along the way that you can use as little boosts of momentum? Or perhaps you announce things publicly and hope that outside expectations will provide the necessary motivation?

What keeps you motivated, particularly when that motivation starts to wane?

Related questions: What motivates you? How do other people motivate you? Where do you get your energy? When is it useful to fail?

What Gives You An Adrenaline Rush?

An adrenaline rush, under the proper circumstances, can be very helpful and enjoyable. Sometimes it can also be harmful. What gives you a rush?

Share why if you wish.