This post ‘Little Luxuries‘ by Steve Pavlina has resonated with me. His point is that we should not skimp on little luxuries because the emotional cost of doing to is much greater than the benefit of not spending for it – and the risk to remain in a scarcity mindset.
“If you took all the money you spend on luxury lattes each year and saved it instead, you’d have a little bit more money but a less luxurious life. But you’d also risk getting more entrenched in a scarcity mindset because scaling back your lifestyle just to save a little extra money is mostly a waste of thought.”
He warns us: “Self-discipline is a limited resource. Save it for the big stuff that matters. Don’t squander it on fussing over how you handle minor expenses.”
The point he makes about the fact that this behavior of avoiding little luxuries actually stems from a scarcity mindset is quite enlightening. And the solution is rather to take the opposite view, using those little luxuries of money and time to expand one’s universe: “Instead of worrying about small expenses, think about making interesting contributions to people’s lives. Explore different ways to creatively express yourself. Take some interesting risks.” It is an investment to get out of the scarcity mindset.
So, grant yourself little luxuries as an exercise to get rid of the scarcity mindset – and leverage on it to expand your horizons!
