“Less is more.”

There is a vicious cycle we have cultivated over the centuries:

Work -> Produce -> Consume

In each step of the process, we have developed cultural status.

One who works over someone who does has more status.

Someone who produces more wealth also gains status.

To show this status, they consume.

And around and around we go.

But our problem is that we construe meaning with work/produce/consume.

We cannot possibly define meaning in our lives by what we consume. Consuming is based on our desires—what we want at the moment. For many, we have far exceeded what we could ever want. And yet, we are left dissatisfied.

The answer isn’t to lean in and consume more. A more expensive car, a more popular college, or a bigger house only creates more desire and an empty feeling of, “Is this all there is?”

Less is more. Not the other way around. The sooner we can correct our expectations of life, the sooner we can begin to live it. Once we live it, then we can find meaning.

Success isn’t a number on a screen.