Particularly around the holidays, I get tempted by cool things that I see.  Most often, it’s a gadget that one of my friends has that catches my attention.  Sometimes when I am looking for a gift for someone else, I spot something that I would like to have.  And, as much as I hate to admit it, I am affected by advertising, especially for bargains.  The nearly constant bombardment of commercial messages distracts our minds into thinking about things we want but don’t have.  That is a recipe for dissatisfaction.  If I pause to think about what is really important to me, what actually makes me happy,  most of those “neat” things lose their importance.