Discover Your Gazingus Pins
What things do you particularly like to buy, and buy often? What items are so hard to resist that you just can’t pass them by? Everyone has them …
For some people it’s ceramic figurines; for others it’s pens.
For some people it’s shoes; for others it’s earrings.
For some it’s sports memorabilia; for others it’s electronic gadgets.
We call these “gazingus pins.” They are those things you buy automatically, because it’s a habit, or because they make you feel a certain way. You can create categories to track gazingus pins and to monitor when you make unconscious choices out of emotion or habit.
How Do You Know if Something Is a Gazingus Pin?
Ask these questions:
Case Study: Jamie’s Gazingus Pins
Jamie loves music and enjoys playing music with friends. In reflecting on the monthly tabulations, Jamie noticed that in months when more time was spent working (and less time playing with friends), more money was spent buying music CDs. Buying music was like a consolation prize for not being able to do what was really more enjoyable.
For some people it’s ceramic figurines; for others it’s pens.
For some people it’s shoes; for others it’s earrings.
For some it’s sports memorabilia; for others it’s electronic gadgets.
We call these “gazingus pins.” They are those things you buy automatically, because it’s a habit, or because they make you feel a certain way. You can create categories to track gazingus pins and to monitor when you make unconscious choices out of emotion or habit.
How Do You Know if Something Is a Gazingus Pin?
Ask these questions:
- Do I/we need this? Do I/we really want it?
- Where would this item be on the fulfillment curve (survival, comfort, luxury, clutter) when I first buy it?
- Where would this item be in another month? Two months? A year?
Case Study: Jamie’s Gazingus Pins
Jamie loves music and enjoys playing music with friends. In reflecting on the monthly tabulations, Jamie noticed that in months when more time was spent working (and less time playing with friends), more money was spent buying music CDs. Buying music was like a consolation prize for not being able to do what was really more enjoyable.
What Are Your Gazingus Pins?
How does each one make you feel? Remember to keep an open mind – one person’s gazingus pin may be another’s treasure.