You know those ratty little voices that constantly tell you when your behavior will have dire consequences and at other times, those that demand you should throw caution to the wind and just go for it? Sometimes you listen to the one side; sometimes you listen to the other.
Ever wonder where those voices come from??
Mostly it’s the stories you make up about life from the experiences you had as a child, the ones where you first confronted the need to choose one path or the other. And they could be as insignificant as whether or not to spend the money you just got for turning in the soda bottles on the penny candy staring at you, or, do you take the money home and save it for the new pencil sharpener you saw in Woolworth’s? Those of us in the Baby Boomer generation will relate to these choices, but those who are younger can fill in the blanks with similar choices.
These voices are those of your parents, the ones who always voted for the safest and most honorable path. Some might call this the devil and the angel sitting on each shoulder. Not one to believe in mythical figures, I would opt for the parental siren song. You know you were told to save the money you got for your birthday, for the holidays, for graduation, etc. Sometimes you were allowed to spend some of it on something you wanted, but mostly you felt guilty if you didn’t give some of it to the bank.
Now how do we distinguish that as adults? It’s the monologue, clearly not a dialogue, that goes on when you see the “sale” sign online and only hours to go before the sale is over. You feel compelled to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, whether you need the merchandise or not. Or maybe you look at those ads and can rationally see you don’t need that comforter set even though you may never see that price again. Kudos to you! You silenced the beast that wants you to buy it!
As long as we can hear that monologue and know it is not always the best path for us, we will be able to enjoy those things we really want and pass on those we don’t. Listen to the siren song, but like Ulysses, stay chained to the mast so they cannot make you buy! Happy Shopping! Or not.
