What Do We Really Need to Own?
Extra edition: On the changing dynamics between access and ownership
What do I really need if I’ve access to everything in the world all the time? That’s the question I asked myself over a decade ago and that begun a nomadic life designed from an iPhone (and now Apple Watch) and not a single physical location.
Today we can store and access pretty much anything via the cloud: books, music, movies, cars, houses, deliveries, clothes, sports equipment et cetera. We can experience everything via access without the burden and high cost of ownership.
“He who knows he has enough is rich.” – Lao Tzu
In this world, what do we really need to own? In my mind it’s the daily essentials, the basic things that we use every day: a tech device or two, favorite clothing, and core equipment – sports, work, living, or otherwise.
Letting the iPhone be the starting point for what we really need in designing our lives opens up to new possibilities. It allows us to exhaust access before we turn to ownership across work, house, travels, car, relationships, and technology.
In the quest for designing a life with fewer better things and maximal experience and growth I ask myself the following six questions to highlight what’s most important:
What do I need to do my best work? (Answer: MacBook, rest, physical exercise, attention, clarity, smart collaborators, inspiration, vision, creativity, know-how).
What do I need to facilitate great relationships? (Answer: openness, communication, ability to listen and understand, trust, integrity, laughter, curiosity).
What do I need to live well? (Answer: basic furniture, kitchen essentials, simplicity, know-how, mindfulness, minimalism, workouts, safety, solitude, social, travel).
What do I need to travel well? (Answer: tech device, clothing, curiosity, languages, interest, adventurous spirit, openness, ability to learn, know-how, thinker-doer).
What do I need to interface the digital world? (Answer: Apple Watch, iPhone, MacBook, mobile battery, headphones, camera, social, empathy, ethics, interest).
What do I need to road trip well? (Answer: wheels, clothing, gear, maps, planning, curiosity, attention, nutritious food, water, openness, know-how, thinker-doer).
Not a lot of physical stuff is there, mostly personal characteristics, purpose, and skills. It’s quite eye-opening to realize that > 80 percent of what we really need has nothing to do with materialism or consumption but about our relationship with ourselves, and others; our ability to learn and grow; and a clear and worthy life purpose and mission.
Of course, not all hobbies and interests can be satisfied with a simple surfboard, travels, camera, books, pen and a notebook. But I think there is something for everyone to reflect on here in our, very often manufactured, relationship with things.
While society wants us to skim the surface of everything, spread our attention thinly, react and act to every promoted desire, as human beings I think we need more meaning; to dive deeper, to stay deeper, to live deeper than what’s being offered.
“The more you know, the less you need.” – Yvon Chouinard
If we think about life as concentric circles, starting out with our essential needs we can then expand and contract the temporary needs and wants as we please. When we know these essentials we can add and subtract pending interest, season, and lifestyle.
Currently all my attention is on physical wellbeing, mental expansion, and creativity. I only need a backpack, clothing, wheels, a surfboard, and a MacBook to support these needs. Anything else would just be superfluous, distracting, wasteful, and overweight.
The nomadic years, where I had to explore access over ownership, really shifted my perspective on things. I both realized how few material things I need, what my true emotional and existential needs are, and the impact of what we make has on nature.
And once we return things and money to its original idea as practical tools to serve but not imprison, we are free to pursue what matters to us through our finite time and attention and that is more than enough – at least to me.
About me
I’m a writer, advisor, and speaker on Sustainability Innovation and Green Minimalism. Previously I developed tech products in Silicon Valley and gave talks on Digital Transformation. Today I live a fulfilled and well-balanced life in Southern California.
You obviously don't spend a lot of time in the US, where you need lots and lots of insurance (health, auto, etc.) or risk financial bankruptcy. And it's expensive.