The ride that steals the spotlight every time it hits the road, that's the Volkswagen Tiguan. It's sleek exterior makes a first impression you can't ignore. Step inside to find available full leather seats and wood accents. Under the hood, the available 201 turbo charge towards power engine gives it a fun-to-drive etch.
The refined Tiguan, you deserve more style. Visit VW.C8 to learn more. SUVW, German-engineered for all. This is Optimal Living Daily.
Five steps toward a more meaningful holiday season by Joshua Fields Millburn of TheMinimalist.com and I'm Justin Molek, your personal narrator. We'll get right to it as we optimize your life. Five steps toward a more meaningful holiday season by Joshua Fields Millburn of TheMinimalist.com. The room is full, a bit cramped, the crowd filling their seats.
It's snowing lightly outside the half windows behind the stage, just a few flurries coating the sidewalks above the spacemen. This December, 2012, the windows weep from the indoor heat. I turn on the microphone and look over the crowd, avoiding eye contact, which will just make me more nervous than I already am. I begin my speech by telling a story about a child on Christmas morning.
Fast forward a few weeks from now, Christmas day, as little Andy unwraps Optimus Prime. A grin breaks across his features when the large toy lights up and comes to life, flashing and beeping and driving Andy's parents crazy. But in a few moments, Andy discards the toy and begins unwrapping the rest of his presence, extracting each box from under the tree one by one, some long, some tall, some heavy, some light. Each box reveals a new toy, each shred of green and red wrapping paper, a flash of happiness.
An hour later though, little Andy is crying hysterically. Based on his fits, this has undoubtedly been the worst Christmas ever. Sure, Andy received many of the things on his list, but he's far more concerned with what he didn't receive. That power ranger he wanted, that video game system he was secretly hoping for, that new computer all his friends are getting.
The toys in front of him simply remind him of what he doesn't have. This sounds childish, I know, but don't we do the same thing? Don't we often look at the things around us and wish we had more? Don't we covet that new car, those new clothes, that new iPhone?
Several people in the crowd nod with identification. What if Andy was happy with the toys in front of him? And what if we were too? I ask rhetorically.
After a brief pause, Ryan jumps in. We're clearly in the throes of the holiday shopping season, he says, speaking through his handheld microphone. Take a look around, malls are packed with herds of consumers. Store fronts are decorated in green and red.
The jingly commercials are running nonstop. The holiday season is officially peaked as gigantic, mass-mediated noggin around the corner. It's here, and if we rely solely on billboards and store signage, then we might believe we must participate. Retailers prepare months in advance for this.
Preparation that's meant to stimulate your insatiable desire to consume. Doorbuster sales, new products, gigantic two-page ads, TV, radio, print, billboards, sale, sale, sale, early bird specials, one day only, get the best deal. Act now, while supplies last. Joshua and I want, however, to shed some light on this shopping or holiday season.
Each year around this time, we all feel that warm and fuzzy Christmas-time nostalgia associated with the onset of winter. We break out the scarves, the gloves, and the winter coats. We go ice skating, sledding, and eat hearty meals with our extended families. We take days off from work, spend time with our loved ones, and give thanks for the gift of life.
The problem is we've been conditioned to associate this joyous time of year that mittens the decorations, the family activities, with purchasing material items. We've trained ourselves to believe buying stuff is an inextricable part of Christmas. We all know, however, the holidays needn't require gifts to be meaningful, rather this time of year is meaningful because of its true meaning, not the wrapped boxes we place under the tree. I'm not saying there's anything inherently wrong or bad about gift-giving during this time of year.
However, when purchasing gifts becomes the focal point of the season, we lose focus on what's truly important. Instead of concentrating on holiday shopping, Ryan continues, I'd like to encourage you to take five steps toward a more meaningful Christmas together. Step one, avoid holiday doorbuster sales. Whether it's Black Friday or any of the subsequent big shopping weekends, it's best to stay inside.
It's important to understand that consumption is an unquenchable thirst. Retailers, advertisers, and manufacturers know this too well, and these sales are designed to take advantage of our insatiable desire to consume. Instead, support your local businesses, support the people in your community who are making a difference. Step two, gift your time.
If you could receive only one Christmas present this year, what would it be? The answer for me is simple, time. The best present is presents. You see, the people I care about mean much more to me than a new pair of shoes, or a shiny new gadget, or even a certified pre-owned luxury car with a huge bow on top.
And yet, many of us attempt to give material items to make up for the time we don't spend with the people we love. I know, I did it for years, but possessions can't make up for lost time. The next time someone asks you what you want for Christmas, consider responding, your presence is the best present you can give me. Step three, gift experiences, not stuff.
Here's an idea, what if you decided to gift only experiences this year? How much more memorable would your holidays be? Your experiences build and strengthen the bond between you and the people you care about. Some experiences worth gifting might include tickets to a concert or play, a home-cooked meal, breakfast in bed, a foot rub, a vacation together, watching on wintertime sunset, sink into the horizon.
Don't you think you'll find more value in these experiences than in material gifts? Don't you think your loved ones will find more value too? Step four, ask for better Christmas gifts. I'd be remiss if I didn't discuss the gift of giving, the gift of contribution.
The age-old app of them is true. It's better to give than to receive. A few months ago, I gave my birthday to charity water, and we raised more than $5,000 from friends and family to gift clean water to more than 250 people who didn't previously have access to it. Perhaps you can do the same this Christmas.
Instead of gifts, you can ask people to donate to your favorite charity in your name. Won't that feel better than a new necktie, a pair of shoes or a piece of jewelry? Step five, we call this step soup kitchen Christmas. You can do what we're doing this year and donate your time to a local soup kitchen, homeless shelter, food bank, or any place that needs volunteers.
This year, Joshua and I will be in Vancouver during Christmas, where we and a local group of our readers will donate part of our Christmas day to a soup kitchen who will be able to really use our help during the holidays. You see, sometimes we have to contribute to help other people. Sometimes we need to contribute to help ourselves. When we step into our discomfort zones and contribute beyond ourselves, we grow.
We experience the world in a different way, and we gain new perspectives from which to be thankful. Ryan pauses for a moment to let it all sink in. Two thirds of the crowd is nodding with vigor. The other third looks skeptical.
Ryan blinks hard from the stage lights and continues. If this all sounds a little preachy, I'm sorry. I'm not here to preach you. I'm not saying you must do or that you should do anything.
I know many of you are just like me. You're unhappy with the status quo. Unhappy with what you're supposed to do with your life. Just unhappy with the way things are.
And so was I. But then I chose to circumvent the status quo. And so can you. You just listen to the post titled Five Steps Toward A More Meaningful Holiday Season by Joshua Fields-Millburn of TheMinimalist.com And I'll be right back with my commentary.
I'm constantly thinking about how to optimize my health, what supplements to take, hours of sleep, what my diet should focus on. Superpower finally takes the guessing out of it. One simple lab test covers over 100 biomarkers and their app gives you a complete picture of your heart, liver, hormones, metabolism, even environmental toxins. Plus it used to cost $499 right now.
It's just $199. And head to superpower.com and use code old at checkout for an additional $20 off your membership. Thank you, Joshua. And I just want to think about as we head into the holiday season.
My family has finally started adopting this mentality. It's pretty big when we have everyone together for the holidays and previously with everyone getting gifts for everyone, if not multiple gifts. There were deep piles, more and more that felt like the norm, not just within my family, but with most people I knew too. But one year we decided to try something else, step two in this post, which was giving only the gift of time.
I remember some specific gifts in the past, like getting my first Nintendo with my brother in, I don't know, 1989, I think it was. But even that is more fuzzy than experiences around the same time, like going to Big Bear with a family, going on the Alpine slide ride. Not sure if that's there anymore. Snow tubing, which had some scary moments, but you get the point.
That's what really sticks, not 99% of the physical things I received. And making that choice eliminates a lot of stress, really, the stress of shopping in the crowds, trying to find the perfect gift, or trying to make a list, and so on. Now it seems a bit more meaningful and relaxing. So good stuff to think about today and for the holiday season, but I'll leave it there.
Thank you for being here and listening to me and for subscribing to you or following the show, and I'll be back tomorrow reading to you, where you are optimal life. Oh, wait.