Are Thanksgiving shoppers missing the point of the holiday?
It’s an irony, to me, that the day after Thanksgiving is the biggest shopping day of the year.
We spend Thanksgiving day being thankful for all our blessings — typically priceless things like good health and love of family. Then, we rush out the next day to buy the pricey things that we presumably need for Christmas.
I’m not opposed to Christmas or shopping, it’s just that staging both major events back-to-back seems a little … well … missing the point.
Considering this is the time of year people often spend themselves into debt, it’s probably not a bad idea to reconnect with some priceless assets and re-evaluate wealth.
According to a new book by inspirational leader and financial adviser Steve Rhode, money problems are often not about money; they are about who we are underneath what we’re trying to be.
The process of becoming someone we’re not can often be expensive, and the resulting low self-esteem can lead to more spending.
His book, "The Path to Happiness and Wealth: How to Enjoy Money and Life at the Same Time," is worth at least a page skimming.
He encourages people to strive for 10 personal attributes in order to prioritize values. A few of his more poignant mentions are:
Kindness — The nice thing about kindness is that as you give, you are repaid a little in your life’s savings account. The more you are kind to others, the better you will feel about yourself.
Gratitude — The only thing you are entitled to in life is … let’s see … nothing. That’s right. Everything more than nothing is a blessing in your life.
Responsibility — Before you can move forward in your life you must accept responsibility for those things for which you are responsible. Don’t assign blame when things go wrong; take responsibility for fixing them and move on.
Mindfulness — To be mindful is to be aware of what we are seeing and what we are thinking. Be aware of your intentions and how you see them through your actions.
Introspectiveness — The hardest person for us to answer to is ourselves. We need to examine the motivations behind what we do with money, credit and debt.
Honesty — The simple ability to see your situation for what it is. Be honest with yourself, because there are plenty of people who will lie to you.
Rhode reminds readers that enough can actually be enough.
"We take everything for granted," he said. "Instead, we need to start each day believing that everything — breathing, shelter, love, money and the rest — are luxuries."
Happy Thanksgiving, and happy (smart) shopping.