One recent afternoon I was in a location to overhear part of a conversation, in which the following was an element of the exchange:
A: “Look at my new X!”
B: “I Gotta Get Me One Of Those!”
Truer, more destructive words were never spoken.
Certainly, I can recognized a similar sentiment within myself. But the shock was that the overheard conversation was between two adults.
Truth Be Told
Now, the truth be told: I myself recall reacting to someone’s new possession by saying those exact “I Gotta Get Me One Of Those!” words, albeit when I was much younger. To me, that attitude is a common affliction of youth, I would surmise, where desire and self-gratification trumps a balanced attitude.
So although it has been some decades, it was a ringing reminder of the American advertising ideal: “Hey, Kids! Be the First On Your Block…!”
Seeing, and Seeing Oneself
So nowadays I would never expect to give voice to such a desire. “I Gotta Get Me One Of Those!” would not come from my lips. And yet we are as so easily manipulated by in our current adult world. Exhortations to motivate us are couched in more sophisticated terms. We needn’t hear “Hey, Kids! Be the First On Your Block…!” We are motivated to buy things, vote for people, or believe in ideas through more sophisticated levers.
1820.
How To
Whenever the impulse arises to spend money, to buy, I need to stop and examine. I need to examine myself, my motivations. Where does this desire come from? Why am I so determined to spend money? What is going on?
Look At Myself
I need to take the time to look into myself. Unfortunately, I do not always do this introspection. But if I do and when I do, I can feel two competing forces at work. One is the emotional self-justification mechanism gearing up to present me with all the reasons why I need to do whatever I am proposing. The other side of me, rational with a healthy use of skepticism and doubt, allows me to look at my consideration without emotion, and evaluate clearly what the available alternatives might be.
Sometimes I end up spending the money. Many times, however, I have realized that it was just my ego responding to flashy bells, baubles and whistles, which I do not need. And in reality do not want. And that not spending means that I will have more later.
A Better Way?
So, if I stay aware, should I encounter that conversational fragment with myself as participant B, I could see the exchange proceed as follows:
A: “Look at my new X!”
Me: “Wow! How interesting!”
What do you think? Are you prone to “Gotta Get Me One”, or have you battled it? See the Contact page for contact info.
Lithograph print of Chicago from the I. N. Phelps Stokes Collection of American Historical Prints, N.Y. Public Library.
The post I Gotta Get Me One Of Those Vs. More Later appeared first in Smile If You Dare.