How to "want less" this Holiday Season

As we all embark on the season that's about giving, and secretly, WANTING, also...

It seems appropriate that we all get a lesson in overcoming the challenge of wanting to acquire all of the time. I found this article posted on Zen Habits, no less useful than the typical Zen Habits blog posting about how to lead a minimalist lifestyle.

Titled "How to Want Very Little" By guest blogger David Turnbull, he breaks down the challenge into 8 seemingly simple steps:

1. Have a vision for your life. Don't just have goals, be specific about them. Have depth, emotion, and passion behind them.
2. Find your motivation. Don't be a meaningless minimalist. Wether it's to save money, travel, or free up time find your motivation to want less and lead a more simple life.
3. Experience the benefits. Plan a short vacation with your extra money, dedicate a room in your house as a tranquil no-stuff zone, visit minimalist location. Actually reaping in the benefits of the wanting less, minimalist lifestyle is the best way to transform your mindset.
4. Be noncommittal. Wanting less and being a minimalist is about a lifestyle, not a decision. Remind yourself of this, and do not feel tied down to your choices.
5. Understand the psychology of influence. Don't fall into the trap of cheap psychological sales tricks any longer. Remember that Sales and marketing are apart of this world you must learn to work around.
6. Grow into it. As with any goals, start with small victories and be persistent by surrounding yourself with positive influences. Literature like Tao Teh Ching and similar mind-set individuals are a good idea.
7. Lose yourself. Instead of being strung along in the process of losing yourself to purchasing the lastest gizmo, learn to transplant that process into an outlet such as writing, music or drawing. Focus on doing interesting things instead of purchasing interesting things.
8. Crunch the numbers. When you're about to make an unecessary purchase, compare it to your passion, say, traveling. Compare the costs of your two, and realize if the purchase is really worth sacrificing living your passion someday soon.

For the full article check it out at Zen Habits or Turnbull's blog The Adventures of a Barefoot Geek.