he Best gift parents can give to their children : 9 most important lessons on Money and Life.
As we all know, Diwali is a festival of light and togetherness but also of cleaning up ,as it is believed that Goddess Lakshmi visits the house which is clean and bright. and we would like to give you a different perspective to celebrate the festival this year.
So Diwali becomes the annual cleaning time for all Indians. From shelves to store rooms everything is deep cleaned. However the cleaning is limited to shelves and does not extend to our lives.
Why don’t we change this in 2020? Let us declutter our lives this Diwali
1.By Deep Cleaning : While cleaning your shelves ask yourself these questions- How much of what I own do I actually need or I actually use? Declutter the wardrobe; give away the rest and going forward try embracing this minimalistic approach. It will not only save you time, energy and space but also money.
A good place to start this is SOCIAL MEDIA. Let us junk this obsession which is said to be more addictive than drinking or smoking. Also let’s junk materialism, unnecessary comparison to peers, anxiety issues and mental health issues which is rising among the youth due to social media.
2. Disposing of things which we do not want: The Indian apparel market has grown by 13.8% CAGR in FY 2018, women’s’ clothing contributing to 38% of it and the top cities contributing to this trend being Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennai. It can be argued that the average disposable incomes of Indians have increased and spending is necessary to keep the economy running. But spending does not necessarily bring joy.
The personal debt of Indians is growing faster than their incomes. Personal loans grew at a rate of 17.1% as of 2019 while the disposable income grew at only 11%. We are spending more than we earn, what about SAVINGS? According to a survey, only 1/3rd of Indians save regularly. Let us decide to give away extra credit cards, get out of the vicious cycle of debt.
3. By Re-thinking our Priorities: It has been proven by multiple studies that Wanting Things Makes Us Happier Than Having Them. We believe that the things we buy will change our lives, improve our relationships, improve our status, boost our self-esteem but the joy is often short lived. What remains is a hole in the pocket and another shelf occupied.
So SHOP WISELY AND CONCIOUSLY. Think of the financial and environmental consequences. Studies claim that consumer culture is to be blamed for the climate crisis. This Diwali try to limit your carbon footprint as if this pattern of consumerism continues it will not only be fatal for the environment but can also lead to depression among humans. A North Western University study found that anyone who places great value to wealth, material possessions and status is more likely to be depressed and anti-social.
4. By Re-imagining Gifts: Not only material things, we also like to accumulate experiences. Travel often leads to clicking innumerable photos and documenting experiences instead of cherishing them in the moment. This is the desire to acquire, to hoard- things, memories and experiences. So try to accumulate as many experiences as you can, spend times with your loved ones and friends, these are the best gifts you can give to yourself and others.
RE-THINK
Do you really want to pay money to be sad? Because all the shopping, all the expensive material possessions is robbing you of your humanism and happiness.
Diwali is often marked as the beginning of a new year for many. Let us make it a point to rethink our finances, the way we spend this Diwali. This year try to widen the definition of prosperity. Do not limit to materials or gold, prosperity is also the sense of fulfilment, being successful in what you do, having peace in your lives. A closet full of clothes or a garage full of cars cannot guarantee this.
Conclusion :- Peace comes from healthy relationships with your family members, friends, your job, and environment. Peace comes from within.
But this won’t be possible if life is cluttered with materialistic things. So Deep clean this Diwali by re-visiting your priorities and decluttering unnecessary materialistic possessions. Find happiness without a bill.
We wish all our readers a very Happy Diwali with new thought and approach towards this Diwali.