“It’s the thought that counts.”
Let’s revisit this statement in time for the upcoming holidays. According to English Oxford Living Dictionaries, this statement is “used to indicate that it is the kindness behind an act that matters, however imperfect or insignificant the act may be”.
The important keyword in the given statement is “thought”. In this era of harried and hurried lifestyle wherein pleasing others becomes one of the sources of happiness, mindfully buying gifts for others has turned into an act of obligation. In the process, the kindness that should be manifested in the gift itself has lost its meaning.
Just as I had written in my book, XPRNZ, there is nothing wrong with shopping or buying something beautiful that gives you pleasure, or gives someone close to you happiness. The danger comes when shopping becomes the anchor of your self-worth and self-identity such that you grow obsessed at the thought of buying to ease your harried and hurried lifestyle or become conscious over the cost of your gifts for others to reflect your own worth.
There are even cases when we grow attached to the material things we buy but are supposed to give to someone. We should consider that whatever is new will become old and what we don’t use, we lose.
As a life sharer, I nurture the positive thoughts of others on the value of simplicity, especially in gift-giving during the holidays. When you devote your energy on money and material possessions, you distract yourself from the real purpose in life, which is definitely more than what money can by. After all, money may be a means to life, but it is not life.
When you decide to buy gifts for others, take the time to step back from the hustle and bustle of holiday sales and mindfully think about why you are buying them gifts in the first place. Are you doing it to please them, to make yourself feel good, to manifest your value and self-worth to them, or to simply engage in retail therapy that you think can keep you sane in the midst of month-end company reports and last-minute tasks before the year closes to give way to a new one?
The keyword I would like to emphasize to go with the words “thought” and “mindful shopping” is “simplicity”. I always tell my employees and my friends that simplicity breeds generosity and abundance while greed creates a culture of scarcity that leads to poverty. Also, simplicity is spiritual economy that brings out our integrity and dignity.
Hence, a simple Christmas gift you mindfully shopped for your loved one after a careful thought is much more valuable than an expensive box of something you bought as a result of associating cost with self-worth and high return of pleasure and happiness.
At the end of the day, this statement always stands true: It’s the thought that counts. // June Luna
June Luna 