Earning Lifestyle: Less IS more.

We seek to earn "The Big Bucks".
So that we can afford to own a house?
So that we can afford to drive a nice car?
So that we can afford this?
So that we can afford that?

Temporary, illustrative digression:

Many of us have experienced times when we were stripped of possessions, whether it be from some natural disaster, or otherwise. We find ourselves, usually temporarily, in a place where we have next to nothing.

If you you have not experienced such a thing yet, don't worry...your day will come.
There's no use trying to avoid it. There is a God. He is bigger than you. And He may need to get your attention from time to time. This is only one of His many tools.

So anyway...
Those people who have found themselves stripped of all they knew and counted as much necessary often find that there is a strange freedom in it. Less work spent caring for possessions means more time for fun, introspection, and the best part, less stress.
Fewer dishes to do.
Less laundry to wash.
No lawn to mow.
No flower bed to weed.

End digression, and return to main subject:

So why do we strive and strive to earn more and more money and buy bigger and bigger houses and more toys and crap?
We don't even have time to enjoy the toys because we are so busy taking care of all of the status quo items that our culture tells us we must show to prove that we are successful, normal, valuable, worth knowing.

What if we came at it backwards?
(Which might really be forward?)

What if we looked at our temperament, how we deal with different kinds of stresses. How we deal with people.
What if we let THESE factors govern our decisions about how many hours we work an d where?

In light of the pay scale resulting from such a choice:

What if we altered our living situation to reflect the resulting income?
Rather than own the traditional home, what if we rent? There would be relatively no maintenance. It would be so much easier to pack up and move if need or mood called for it.
How many pairs of shoes do I really need?
Do I need a food processor? What about a good old fashioned sharp knife?
Do I need 5 pairs of shoes?
How many outfits do I REALLY need?

There are so many things that we don't NEED, but simply want.
And yet, we blame stress for our health problems.

Isn't it more likely that this stress is simply caused by our own unbridled avarice?

We are our own problem.