What should be noted is that you are already smart enough, attractive enough, successful enough and popular enough. You don’t NEED to be more.

You should read because you WANT to, not because you think it will make you a better person.

I agree with virtually every poster before me: No, buying stuff as such is neither wrong nor bad.

Personally I get enormous joy out of my Aikido gear & weapons and my microphone to make audio recordings. All of this stuff had to be purchased at some point; without of it I could not do certain things at all (volunteering for librivox) or only in a limited way (no way to practise Aikido in a tshirt).

And I am sure my colleagues at work and random people I meet in the bus for example get enormous joy out of the fact that I am using hygiene products on a daily basis.

Thanks Trent, nice idea, bad execution. Try again?

#11 Norman – I don’t have children (I’m a candle in the wind by Trent’s measure) so no, he hasn’t stepped on my toes by saying all products are the devil. He’s just taken a good thought (you don’t always need to buy things to improve your life) about 900 steps too far with blanket generalizations.

Contrary to the last line of the article, I think that sometimes, products you buy *can* help to facilitate those kind of changes.

If you want to be successful, measure success by your own metrics, not those of society.

If you want to be attractive, first love yourself for who you are. The rest will follow.

If you want to be popular, sell out. If you want to be genuine, stay true to who you are.

If you want to be a better person, define exactly what “better” means, and figure out what you can do right now to become that person.

If you want to fill your hours with joy, do whatever makes you happy…not what someone tells you not to do.

Life your life according to your own rules.

I get it, though.

Thanks for the message, Trent.

I need to look put-together and professional for work. I know I don’t like to spend a lot of time getting ready in the morning. Therefore, I spend very little money on makeup and instead pay for a good haircut that looks nice with a minimum of work. I know summers in the Phoenix area make clothes wear out faster, so I buy clothes from thrift stores and on sale, and I invest in undershirts to keep the clothes nicer for longer.

If I want to be successful, right, I have to work hard, but it also involves spending some money on computer equipment, business cards, hosting fees…

If I want to exercise — a mere walk doesn’t cut it for me — I do it with the running shoes I have bought (and that eventually I’ll be replacing) and the fitness equipment (free weights, gym balls) I also bought at some point.

I could go on and on. Nitpicky? Maybe. But statements that actually don’t mean a thing tend to annoy me. I understand that you shouldn’t spend your money carelessly, but it’s not realistic to expect to go on with life without paying for stuff and services. You just have to decide which things are worth your time and money. For example, it’s not worth it for me to pay for someone to clean my house (been there, done that) but I’ll pay to have my hair cut or to have my walls professionally painted.