Wanting Less > Getting More

The art of Via Negativa

You Are Running On A Treadmill Trying To Reach The Horizon.

Meet David. David makes $180,000 a year. He drives a Range Rover. He wears a $12,000 Submariner. David is currently sitting in his leather office chair, browsing Zillow for a bigger house with a pool, because he is convinced that his current 2,500 square foot house is “cramped.” He believes that once he gets the pool, he will finally relax. The anxiety will vanish. The low-level hum of dissatisfaction will shut off.

David is a drug addict. The drug is Novelty. The dealer is The Market. And like any junkie, his tolerance is building faster than his income.

The Equation You Cannot Beat

You have been taught that the solution to dissatisfaction is Acquisition.

• Problem: I am unhappy.

• Solution: Get More (Money, Women, Status, Square Footage).

This is a fundamental misunderstanding of the physics of satisfaction. Satisfaction = Perception / Expectation.