There you are with your smartphone, holding the “future” in your hands. But then the newest smartphone arrives, marketing its superior awesomeness. Now you feel obsolete. You must upgrade! Yet you resist. But the latest phone tugs at your feeble mind and weak will. The struggle is real. But it doesn’t have to be.
The Fix
How can you overcome the visceral temptation to grasp the future once again in your sweaty palms? Look at what you’ve already got, not at what you don’t. Instead of gazing longingly at what you lack, notice what you don’t lack in the awesome phone still in your possession.
Those new smartphone reviews online that tempt you to upgrade and give you reasons why, ignore them. Instead, read the original reviews for the phone you’re holding in your grip now.
Go back to the time when your phone was the newest hottest futuristic mobile gadget on the planet. Remember how those reviews raved about the gadget that is now yours. Focus on what made your smartphone awesome and then realize nothing has changed about it. Those features are still in the phone gracing your fingertips. And they’re still benefiting you now.
Gadget Gratitude
Be thankful for your great gadget and find gratitude for it. This will change your perspective. Sure, the newest phone is technically better. But that doesn’t mean your current pocket computer is bad. It still serves you well and likely will continue to do so for a while.
If you will admire and appreciate the cool tech in your current phone, that will help you do the challenging thing: wait. The longer you wait to upgrade, the better. Then you can make an even bigger jump to a new phone – more bang for your buck – and/or you can spend less money for an upgrade. That would save you cash for accessories like a new case.
All that said, let me be the first to admit this is not as easy to put into practice as it is to type the ideal. I do practice, messily, and sometimes the allure of the shiny new thing wins. It happens. Hopefully with more practice, it happens less.