Having vs. Being: Why Your Stuff Isn’t Enough (and a Book to Help You Figure It Out)

We live in a culture obsessed with having. Bigger houses, faster cars, overflowing closets – the more we accumulate, the better, right? But there is a catch to that: When researchers asked rich people how happy they are on a scale for 1 to 10 and what it would take to reach a 10 the answer was always 2-3 times the money they had. Like in the fisherman and his wife you can never win this game.

But what if there’s a more fulfilling path? Enter Erich Fromm’s classic, To Have or to Be?, one of my all time favorite books that challenges our very definition of success.

Fromm, a great thinker and social psychologist, asks the simple question: Are we defined by what we own, or by who we are?

Think about it. Do you spend more time acquiring things than nurturing your talents, your relationships, your inner self? Are you constantly chasing the next shiny object, hoping it will fill a void? Fromm argues that this obsession with „having“ leads to a deep sense of alienation and emptiness.

But there’s hope! Fromm champions the path of „being.“ It’s about cultivating our creativity, our compassion, our capacity for love and growth. It’s about becoming the best version of ourselves, not just accumulating the biggest pile of stuff.

This book isn’t a guilt trip. It’s a wake-up call. It’s a permission slip to break free from the hamster wheel of consumerism and start living a life of meaning and purpose.

Here’s why To Have or to Be? is a must-read:

• It challenges the status quo. Fromm questions the conventional wisdom and encourages us to think differently about what matters.
• It’s about becoming a remarkable individual. This book is about self-actualization, about cultivating the unique talents and gifts that make you, you.
• It’s a call to action. Fromm doesn’t just diagnose the problem, he offers a path forward, a way to live a richer, more meaningful life.

So, put down that shopping list, pick up To Have or to Be?, and challenge yourself. You might just find that the things that truly matter can’t be bought, only cultivated. It’s time to stop having and start being. Are you ready?