Researchers have found that there is not just a correlation between low self-esteem and materialism, but also a causal relationship where low self-esteem INCREASES materialism and materialism can CREATE low self-esteem. They also found that as an individual's self-esteem increases, their interest in materialism decreases.
In a study primarily focused on how this relationship effects children and adolescents, Lan Nguyen Chaplin (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) and Deborah Roedder John (University of Minnesota) found that even a simple gesture to raise self-esteem dramatically decreased materialism.
"By the time children reach early adolescence and experience a decline in self-esteem, the stage is set for the use of material possessions as a coping strategy for feelings of low self-worth".
The paradox that findings such as these bring up, is that consumerism is good for the economy in the short run but bad for the individual in the long run, especially for young people. Most of us want more income so we can consume more stuff. However, several separate studies show that as societies become richer, they do not become happier.
Statistically people have more material possessions and money than they did fifty years ago, but they are actually less happy. In fact, the wealthiest countries have more depression, alcoholism and more crime than they did fifty years ago and yet we have more material goods to purchase than ever before. This paradox is true of Britain, the United States, Australia, continental Europe and Japan.
The real reason people want whatever is currently "hot" or "in style" is because they believe it will contribute towards their satisfaction and happiness in life. The word "believe" is the key here. People believe that buying more and more things, especially name brand clothes and cars, will make them happy, when in fact research has shown time and time again that this simply isn't the case.
The point here is if you believe that when you get enough "stuff" you will be happy, you are setting yourself up to be very disappointed. So instead why not be happy NOW? That's right! Cut out the middleman (all that stuff you think will make you happy when you get it) and just be happy NOW. A radical idea, wouldn't you say?
Truly Caring for Your Success!
Dr. Robert Anthony
Saturday 17 August 2013
Dr Robert Anthony: Are You A Producer Of Hope?
I want to talk about hope.
Hope can be a form of scarcity. There are those who live in hope and those who produce hope. What does it mean to be a producer of hope? People who produce hope are creators. People who live in hope are those who just wish and wait for things to change.
Hope is essential because without it life would be a daunting task. However, there is a dark side to hope that very few people talk about. The difference is in what we do or don't do with hope.
For most people, hope is characterized by waiting for other people or events to change so that we can be happy or get what we want. In this respect, hope is like the dark side of positive thinking. Positive thinking rarely brings about change because it is a passive activity. Hope then becomes a waiting game.
What people fail to understand is that hope is only a small part of the equation for success. Without action, hope leaves you in a negative reinforcing cycle of expectations, disappointment and stagnation.
Hope is the longing and wishing for things we think we don't have. However, the energy we put into wishing and waiting actually prevents us from receiving what we want.
Hope can be a prison. It is a conditioned belief that there is nothing we can do but sit back and "hope for the best". The dictionary defines hope as "the desire for something to happen while expecting or being confident that it will come true". This is nothing more than a waiting game.
Many people create a dream and then wait for a sign from heaven that they are on the right track. When the sign fails to come, they give up and go off onto some new adventure, again waiting for a sign that this is finally "it".
We are conditioned to wait. We wait for the bus, we wait in line at the grocery store and the bank. In school we raised our hands and waited to be called upon, etc. We wait until our parents, teachers or some other adult tells us that it's okay to do what we want to do.
People that are into hope feel powerless. Powerlessness is a conditioned pattern. Why is it that we can read about people who overcame great odds to accomplish some fantastic feat, but we can't manage to get to an appointment on time? We are powerless because of heavy traffic, kids won't cooperate, or some other excuse. If we really faced the truth of the situation, we would see that this supposed powerlessness is a clever disguise to keep us resisting what we can do in the moment.
Truly Caring for Your Success!
Dr. Robert Anthony
Hope can be a form of scarcity. There are those who live in hope and those who produce hope. What does it mean to be a producer of hope? People who produce hope are creators. People who live in hope are those who just wish and wait for things to change.
Hope is essential because without it life would be a daunting task. However, there is a dark side to hope that very few people talk about. The difference is in what we do or don't do with hope.
For most people, hope is characterized by waiting for other people or events to change so that we can be happy or get what we want. In this respect, hope is like the dark side of positive thinking. Positive thinking rarely brings about change because it is a passive activity. Hope then becomes a waiting game.
What people fail to understand is that hope is only a small part of the equation for success. Without action, hope leaves you in a negative reinforcing cycle of expectations, disappointment and stagnation.
Hope is the longing and wishing for things we think we don't have. However, the energy we put into wishing and waiting actually prevents us from receiving what we want.
Hope can be a prison. It is a conditioned belief that there is nothing we can do but sit back and "hope for the best". The dictionary defines hope as "the desire for something to happen while expecting or being confident that it will come true". This is nothing more than a waiting game.
Many people create a dream and then wait for a sign from heaven that they are on the right track. When the sign fails to come, they give up and go off onto some new adventure, again waiting for a sign that this is finally "it".
We are conditioned to wait. We wait for the bus, we wait in line at the grocery store and the bank. In school we raised our hands and waited to be called upon, etc. We wait until our parents, teachers or some other adult tells us that it's okay to do what we want to do.
People that are into hope feel powerless. Powerlessness is a conditioned pattern. Why is it that we can read about people who overcame great odds to accomplish some fantastic feat, but we can't manage to get to an appointment on time? We are powerless because of heavy traffic, kids won't cooperate, or some other excuse. If we really faced the truth of the situation, we would see that this supposed powerlessness is a clever disguise to keep us resisting what we can do in the moment.
Truly Caring for Your Success!
Dr. Robert Anthony
Dr. Robert Anthony: Life Doesn't Come With A Money Back Guarantee
Life doesn't come with a money back guarantee and yet many of us live like it does. People are certain that they will keep their jobs. They are certain of living a long healthy life. Others might be certain that they will lose their jobs or get sick and die young. Certainty comes in many forms but it rarely corresponds to the truth.
The truth is nothing is certain. The need for certainty is the need for safety. It is the basis of all religion. Since we do not like uncertainty, we choose to believe in something that we feel we can be certain about, even though we have no logical proof that it is true.
Some might argue that if nothing can be counted on then why bother trying. In order to move forward in life many people need to have a sense of certainty about the outcome. But this kind of certainty is an illusion.
Certainty is a form of disconnection - from the truth and from ourselves. When we feel certain about something, we are disconnected from the natural flow of life.
Certainty is the perpetual elusive dream of most people.
What in life is certain? There is a part of you - your Authentic Self - that is unchanging. This pure consciousness is certain while everything else is uncertain, impermanent and an illusion. But how do you discover or experience this pure unchanging consciousness? Through Inquiry.
If you are certain about something - anything for that matter - you immediately place a lid on that thing. It cannot change. You won't let it change because if you do, you will be wrong in your certainty. But all things, except one thing, do change.
The only thing that doesn't change is WHO YOU ARE - your Authentic Self or what is commonly called consciousness. Consciousness is what remains when all concepts, beliefs, values, habits and ways of thinking are stripped away. In other words, all of your ideas, concepts, beliefs and so on will change over time. If this is true then why waste time on trying to be certain?
By inquiring how and why you get certain results in your life you learn about your beliefs and patterns that create those results. Then through the power of your mind, you can consciously form new patterns. The need for certainty is replaced by a relaxed "learning" pattern.
Can you imagine a world in which nothing changes? It would be absolutely miserable. Inquiry is the habit that leads us out of that misery.
Through uncertainty you move from being an expert to being a student. All of life, all experiences, everyone and everything become our teachers.
Truly Caring for Your Success!
Dr. Robert Anthony
The truth is nothing is certain. The need for certainty is the need for safety. It is the basis of all religion. Since we do not like uncertainty, we choose to believe in something that we feel we can be certain about, even though we have no logical proof that it is true.
Some might argue that if nothing can be counted on then why bother trying. In order to move forward in life many people need to have a sense of certainty about the outcome. But this kind of certainty is an illusion.
Certainty is a form of disconnection - from the truth and from ourselves. When we feel certain about something, we are disconnected from the natural flow of life.
Certainty is the perpetual elusive dream of most people.
What in life is certain? There is a part of you - your Authentic Self - that is unchanging. This pure consciousness is certain while everything else is uncertain, impermanent and an illusion. But how do you discover or experience this pure unchanging consciousness? Through Inquiry.
If you are certain about something - anything for that matter - you immediately place a lid on that thing. It cannot change. You won't let it change because if you do, you will be wrong in your certainty. But all things, except one thing, do change.
The only thing that doesn't change is WHO YOU ARE - your Authentic Self or what is commonly called consciousness. Consciousness is what remains when all concepts, beliefs, values, habits and ways of thinking are stripped away. In other words, all of your ideas, concepts, beliefs and so on will change over time. If this is true then why waste time on trying to be certain?
By inquiring how and why you get certain results in your life you learn about your beliefs and patterns that create those results. Then through the power of your mind, you can consciously form new patterns. The need for certainty is replaced by a relaxed "learning" pattern.
Can you imagine a world in which nothing changes? It would be absolutely miserable. Inquiry is the habit that leads us out of that misery.
Through uncertainty you move from being an expert to being a student. All of life, all experiences, everyone and everything become our teachers.
Truly Caring for Your Success!
Dr. Robert Anthony
Friday 16 August 2013
Saturday 10 August 2013
Friday 2 August 2013
Thursday 1 August 2013
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