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Below is the video I stumbled across one day that actually led me to Barry Schwartz's book called "The Paradox of Choice". When he says he wrote a whole book after his buying jeans incident, the man was not kidding.
I've said for some time now that I think a lot of our stress is due to too many choices, certainly too many bad ones in the grocery store, but just plain out too many choices. We don't NEED all this variety in every darn thing. So when I get going on this line of conversation with hubs, the accountant in him kicks in and he tells me "But honey, the manufacturing of all these "choices" as you put it, creates many, many jobs."
So I respond with "We need more farmers. We need more people to work producing good food so all those people making a thousand kinds of widgets could grow peas and spinach."
But I'm not that naive, not really. Just wishful. I remember growing up with kids who wanted desperately to leave the farms they lived on, move the city, and get jobs - jobs that were NOT farm related. All I can think of is gee, they sure created a lot of "stuff" in them thar city places!
Most of which I betcha we could totally do without.
Anyway, I did read this book - and I really enjoyed it! Listen to Barry's little routine here and you will get the gist of it. Of course there is a ton of research in his book - I found the whole of it fascinating.
Let me know what YOU think.
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I remember those days of everyone wearing Levi's Straight Legs. That was it. Our uniform, kind of like the North Face of today. We even wore them all summer. I recently told my kids that in high school, we didn't wear shorts. It was all Levi's, all the time. What a way to shop.
ReplyDeleteHi Joanne! Yikes! In "my day" jeans weren't allowed in school at All! I can remember having to wear skirts/dresses and girls didn't even wear slacks - ever. I'm all for jeans now of course :) but there IS something to say for dress codes, don't ya think? I see kids going to school with barely clothes!
ReplyDeleteWow, I loved that, suZen. I've never thought of the relationship between choice and perfection before. I'm gonna have to ponder that one. Thanks for sharing that. And btw, whenever I find some piece of clothing that I like a lot, I buy a lot. Simply because I hate to shop and go through what he's talking about.
ReplyDeleteYou know, the example I always use when I want to point out what overwhelms me is the salad dressing aisle at the grocery store. There have to be more than 100 choices, and it's madness! Years ago, before I settled on organic foods, I would stand in front of the selection for 10 minutes or more and had the hardest time choosing what I wanted. Low-fat? Reduced fat? Creamy or not? Chunky? Fruity? Garlicky? MY GOD!
ReplyDeleteSimple makes my heart happy, and so as time goes on, I keep manifesting ways to simplify my life.
Love this post, SuZen and Love You!
Hi SuZen .. your title is Erasing the Bored .. yea .. you have so much fun with choice??!!
ReplyDeleteI know I know .. nor do I – I hate it .. I make a decision and it’s done. If I need to think, then I gather the info I need – away from the shop assistants – and then I go & buy .. no choice – it’s done.
On top of that Barry’s not wearing jeans .... hell and damnation .. that’s a shock – choice – wear jeans on stage, not shoes and socks & shorts ... he should be up at your lake ..
Having said that – what a great video .. & they do make a mockery of wives don’t they .. you’ll do .. perhaps that’s what I should have done for a hubs?! Mind you got one – lost him quickly .. but never moved on ...
I hate choice too – because occasionally when you want something – that choice was last year’s model .. so you can’t have it!
Great post – fun reading ... and the video .. so good ... have a great week .. shorts?! Hilary
I agree with you that we've gone overboard with choices but it could be used (and it is) to our advantage. Practice mindful choice. Teach mindful choice. That's the true gift of being a free human being. More farmers? If they so choose. :)
ReplyDeleteMaryse
I have to think about it for a while. I like having choices and like Wifsie I like the challenge of finding what I like and sticking with it for a while.
ReplyDeleteBut, I do think that manufacturers would do better by going back to the roots and simplifying. If only they could somehow regulate production and only allow quality goods to be put on the shelves.
I love the Farmer's Markets where the choices are just that, quality!
"The secret to happiness is low expectation." Now this is something I never heard before. As I watch his speech, I was enlightened about my foolishness. :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Patty! Hey I just did that too! Found some jeans I liked that fit great and bought several. Lipstick is another one - they always discontinue my favs so I buy several - it postpones the agony of re-selection! ha!
ReplyDeleteHi Megan! I know what you mean about the grocery store. I've simplified our eating plans so much I buy the same things pretty much every week. It's a quick trip these days, thank heavens. We really don't need to buy as much as we used to - amazingly. Loving simple!
Hi Hilary! Erasing the bored is a mental thing and I think the paradox of choice is more to do with STUFF - too much stuff. I'm working on a total simplify program - have a short grocery list is a quick trip but I just hate the size of the stores - esp. because they are full of junk.
ReplyDeleteHi Maryse! I grew up on a farm - I miss seeing the small farms. And the small farms are where the "real" food comes from, not the huge fields of GMO crops with pesticides galore. How about mindful farming?
Hi Jillian! Oh yes I love the farmers market. Ours will start Memorial Day thru Oct. and it is just the best food. There is enough choice there for me. I find today's supermarkets daunting, not to mention loaded with pieces of unhealthy!
ReplyDeleteHi Walter! I'm glad you enjoyed the video! Kind of makes you think doesn't it? I sort of liked the good old days when we had less choice. I'm not all that sure that all the choices today are good or even necessary.
It is funny, I too only buy a little in the supermarket and it is always the same. However my ego can play up and say that that is pretty darn boring and not very sophisticated, especially after having eaten out and seen all the different things I never use. So if I can quite down my ego I am very okay with my simple same old same old in clothing and food, but when my ego gets wind of what other people might think, I do make my simple choices wrong sometimes. Until I get to my senses and know that the ego is just making trouble and money for an industry that is making us sick.
ReplyDeleteSo for me it is a matter of keeping ego/monkey mind in check. xox Wilma
Hi Wilma! It's a challenge to make lots of different and delicious things with really only basic foods - and boy I love that! I can start the week with a huge pot of brown rice and play recipe challenge creating so many different things with it. I can't get bored with so many fruits/veggies to play with - and herbs too - don't get me started, haha!
ReplyDeleteA great point indeed. Too much of choices make us stressed always. When you start schooling, there are only 12 colors in your pastel box.But when you ready to paint your house, there are 6000+ colors in their chart, which leave us confused. haha....
ReplyDeletesee. It's really funny.
Hi Vikum! Great example of too many choices! Be glad you don't wear lipstick - thousands of choices and hundreds of brands.
ReplyDeleteThere is a LOT to be said for low expectations, we've nowhere but up to go.
ReplyDeleteOkay... so last night I was at Target perusing the 50+ skin creams by Olay, lured there by the tv ads that tout it as the best in its class today. Remember when Oil Of Olay came in just one kind? So I came home with a pack of hopefully 3 amazing products -- cleanser, moisturizer and eye-"rejeuvenator." :) Was too tired from all the shopping to even try them out last night.
Kelly says she'd like to take before and after photos of my face! :)
Now I'm tired here at 2:57 a.m. and will hit the hay again. Kitty meowed me awake a few minutes ago to get him off the roof. Luckily we have a big ladder. Just wish he would learn to use it to come DOWN as well as to go up.
Last night is was Kelly who woke me at 2:00 with growing pains in her legs. Oy. Can I please get a full night's sleep, People!?!?
:)
xo
Well, good-night.
suZen,
ReplyDeleteLOL OMG LOL!
Not only were we both farmers but we're both married to accountants!
I think your idea is great about everyone going and planting peas and spinach. Don't think it's far out either. Like the guy says in the video...the stuff that didn't look good is now looking good again.
As a professional speaker so many people go crazy with expensive clothes to wear. This guy comes out in Saturday afternoon clothes and stands on a mismatched rug! LOL again!
I just got asked to speak in November and I'm going to try that!
Thanks for making my day. I'm passing this on to my speaking friends!
He quotes ....“The secret to happiness is low expectation”... I Must add his book to my reading list..I suppose being spoilt with choices increase our expectation which may subsequently lead to dissatisfaction ...
ReplyDeleteTruth is I still can not decide what I want to be when I grow up....then I feel badly about myself because the list of things I can not do keeps growing and growing...
ReplyDeleteWe have just finished discussing the very subject with my voluntary simplicity group of 30 years...well now there is some limiting...most appliances are now only made by one company in the USA they just have variations of outer design....so you just choose the design option that fits your decor...and now most are choosing stainless steel which means our white is very hard to choose...another something one can no longer do???
Hi Jannie! Well godonlyknows, there are way more wrinkle creams out there than we need, haha! How about ONE that WORKS?! Let me know your satisfactional level with the Olay stuff.
ReplyDeleteHi Tess! Yeah, a few commonalities eh? Well I seriously want the small independent farmers back! As well as an end to the industrialized meat industry, dairy industry and GMO's. How's that for a wish list?
Hi Fatima! I think you'll enjoy the book - choice is an issue to ponder!
Hi Patricia! The more things change, the more they remain the same. In some areas I wish this would apply.