Beware of the “My Precious” Effect
Try to avoid getting obsessively possessive of items you own
Guest post written by Kevin Jezek
If you are clueless to the above reference I can only suggest that you take a full day to invest in watching the movies Lord of the rings, reading would be best though far better than the movies. If you’re still with me I have a couple experiences of times where I totally let my inner Sméagol come raging out. In times of reflection I have begun to see just how much a item can take hold of you, make you become so dependent on it the thought of being without it or not having it actually scares you to think about. Some of the people reading this would probably roll their eyes and say “Oh, no way. Not me”. But just think. We’ve got phones, tablets, computers, cars, clothes, coffee, as well as video games and cable and even toys and various accessories. Everyone has something they “can’t live without”, but is that really true?
I have a uncle who is a commercial fisherman in Alaska. When I was 14 years old, he deemed me old enough to handle the responsibilities of being a deckhand on his 38-foot commercial salmon vessel. Me and my uncle and one other guy were on this tiny boat for 3 months, where half the length is taken up by the unlivable deck space used for working. This was a true crash course into what a person really NEEDS in order to get by every day. This is a very extreme example, but everyone has things they think they can’t live without.
In my completely unprofessional opinion these items can be very dangerous to our mental health and happiness. Think about how much anxiety can come from just something as simple as a phone. Worrying about where it is, if it’s charged, paying for it, and having the insurance because all the gods know your going to drop it a hundred times or more. Then if you do lose it that is DEFCON five, all other life stops until this problem is fixed! Man, that can not
be very healthy for a brain to deal with every day! Then we have everything else in there too. It’s easy to see why everyone you know has anxiety in some form or another.
If you use something everyday and it’s not directly related to your job, health, or security and you can’t go at the very minimum one day without using it, well my friend I’m sorry to say this but that Is the my “precious effect” aka addiction. Don’t lose hope for ever though folks, salvation is very simple when you get down to it. The first step, as in anything else, is identifying the problem items and admitting that they are a problem. Then it’s down to slowly cutting back. Instead of TV or a movie every night, try a book. Or turn the phone off when you get home after a certain time, same thing for the internet. If you own one certain favorite knife or tool of which you have multiple, try giving that one away to someone who you know would use it. This strategy is not only beneficial to clearing out items we should be rid of, but it also gives joy and happiness to both yourself and the person receiving the items. Your mind will always thank you of getting rid of another object that your subconscious mind is constantly tracking in every way possible, worrying and fretting, checking and rechecking.
Do yourself a huge favor and try it with just one item small at first, nothing major. Then tell me how you felt after.
Did you notice anything? Was it easy for you or did you find it challenging?Did it inspire you to try and find something bigger to try? Or maybe the exact opposite!
Almost everything we claim to be something we can’t live without is in fact just a useful tool used to make life a tiny bit easier. Nothing short of medication, food, water, and shelter is needed for survival if you really boil it down. So take stock and be honest with yourself. Don’t turn into a Sméagol, because no one really likes a Sméagol. They just use them for a guide!
Sorry to all the Sméagol lovers out there.
Kevin Jezek was born on September 13th 1988, in Tacoma Washington. He grew up in Federal Way, Washington where he attended Federal Way High School. He started commercial salmon fishing in the summer on my uncle’s boat in Alaska when he was 14. High school dropout (with GED). Has had held a variety of jobs, such as working with crab, salmon, cod, fishing, construction, heavy equipment operator, landfill, aircraft maintenance, plumbing, electrical, gardening and more. Kevin is an open-minded, deep thinking, loner who likes people.
“ I’m going through life looking to collect experiences not things. Your mind is either your strongest asset or your Achilles heel depending on how you use it!”
