It’s almost the weekend, readers! Before we get into the Quote of the Week, I just wanted to give a huge shoutout to the 6 readers who religiously read these posts👩‍💻! I see you and totally appreciate you loving my motivational monologues. Please continue to support me and my blog! I pray for nothing but goodness 🙌 in your life – thank you.

How are things going on your side? The chilly season is typically my favourite – with my days spent chugging hot chocolate, wrapped up in PJs and knitwear – but with the recent storms and flooding in Cape Town, it is hard to find the upside. 🙏Please keep me, my family, and all Capetonians in your thoughts and prayers. If you’d like to learn more and help out, read about it here🆘️.

Back to what you came here for…

Too much and we become confused
and lose the ability to see the
perfection of one simple thing

Pam Brown

Every time I read these simple quotes, I give the most expected reaction: that’s so true!😅

We’ve spoken about appreciating the small, simple things in life. So I want to discuss the opposite extreme – overconsumption.

The action or fact of consuming something to excess. In later use also: excessive use of natural resources, esp. in industrial processes – Oxford English Dictionary

Overconsumption is currently under the spotlight, especially its connection to social media. While those fridge restock videos are super satisfying, it is not a realistic view of life, nor a realistic goal many can have. How many people go weeks with a sparse or empty fridge? Are our lives not “goals” because our fruits are not colour-coordinated? Not up to standard because we don’t stock our pantries with “organic” and “luxury” items?

I know many social media consumers know that most content is a fantasy. But I cannot help but wonder about its effects on our perception of life.

Some skincare videos, in my opinion, promote overconsumption. This topic has recently become very popular with younger people. While knowing how to care for your skin from a young age is totally okay (it’ll save so many people from popping zits), I have a problem with impressionable people being made to feel like their self-worth is linked to a product. Why are young people – who most likely are jobless, studying or just entered the workforce – being influenced to spend the equivalent of a month’s groceries on tiny bottles of “miracle juice”?

Our young people reportedly have low levels of confidence and those with high uses of social media have even lower levels. As technology and social media develop, we should start to ponder how it can devastate the minds of young people.

And with online adverts being disguised as “honest reviews“ and “innocent punting“, one can easily see how they can create or play on human insecurities. We start to believe our self-image is linked to the products we wear, the brands we eat, and the labels we buy…exclusively.

This is not a new discussion. Influencing people to buy things for the sake of a brand name or because so-and-so is using/wearing it has been around for decades. And while one can argue that ‘people’s money is their own business’ and ‘everyone deserves to treat themselves’ overconsumption has some ugly side effects to it.

Not only can it cause us to be unhappy with our lot in life, but also feel jealous and envious of others we perceive to have better (or more) than us. People go bankrupt, or neck-deep in debt trying to keep up with trends or a certain lifestyle. A fantasy.

And unless people are turning into hoarders, trying to fit everything in their homes (not mansions), items are being tossed into landfills and oceans without a second thought.

Overconsumption damages our planet. We use up natural resources faster than what can be replenished. Another shocking element of overconsumption is food waste. Roughly one-third of the world’s food for human consumption is wasted.

Maybe our parents or grandparents were not buying expensive food items, but they certainly did not waste it. They knew how to appreciate each ingredient, every cent.

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So before you “shop like a billionaire”, think about your NEED for this item. Not your ‘NEED’ to fit into some trendy box.

I want young people to find happiness and confidence and comfort within themselves. Simplify your world, and be content with the basics…”Too much and we become confused…”

Never lose sight of the “perfection of one simple thing”.

YOU ARE PERFECT 💙