Perhaps you have (or haven’t) heard the phrase “quality vs. quantity.” In my opinion, this rather abstract statement can be applicable to anything, if not everything, in this world. As Americans, I feel that we focus our attention on having as much as we can—which can be anything from massive meal portions to something as simple as binge watching Netflix all day. We all want a lot. That is where our faults lie—in our desires. Why do we value having "a lot" of something? What ever happened to having a few wonderful items, or even experiences, of exceptional quality? We, as a culture, need to get back to seeing things as special. We need to learn what value is. This phrase, quality vs. quantity, is so commonplace, we forget just how much it relates to every little thing in our lives. So let’s take a few examples…

Something we all have the same amount of: time. We run on time. We schedule ourselves. We allot time to certain activities. We can’t change the amount of time we have, but we can change what we do with it. What’s something we all spend our time on? Relationships. Friends. People we like to call our siblings, maybe, who have been given that title because of the strength of the relationship. But how many of that kind of friend can you have? Are you going to spend your time trying to become absolute best friends with ten people? Quality vs. quantity. I’m pretty sure anyone can guarantee that having a few quality friendships versus many mediocre friends will be better in the long run.

Material possessions. Every time I think of this, the scene from Harry Potter pops into my mind when Dudley Dursley is gifted a given number of presents and has an absolute conniption when there aren’t as many as the previous year. Don’t get me wrong, having a variety of material possessions can be really fun. That being said, having all the possessions in the world doesn’t necessarily make you the happiest person. Some people have this need to purchase things just to have them, or just because whatever they’re looking at is on sale. The next time you think about buying something else, consider if it may actually improve your quality of life and is worth your money.

Let’s talk about fast food. Quick, convenient and cheap. Oh, and did I mention how it is awful for your body? We need to invest in ourselves and our health, not the dollar menu. Do good for your body by intaking reasonable portions of quality food.

My bottom line here is that we just need to be more conscious. Be more conscious of the quality of your investments. Read the back of the label. Don’t buy things just because they’re on sale. Budget time. Foster relationships. Quality vs. quantity: something to always keep in mind.