The world we live in is riddled with problems. We may not actively recognise them, but they’re everywhere. The global economy, particularly those in developed countries, runs on debt. Average household spending exceeds average household income. We’re isolated emotionally and as we immerse ourselves deeper and deeper into technology, loneliness worsens. And probably worst of all, we’re selfish. We rarely think of others before we think of ourselves, we rarely want to do something to improve someone else’s life if it comes at a cost to our own.
This of course is a broad generalisation, but if we each take a moment to reflect, we’re likely to see these signs in ourselves. But what if there was a simple solution that could help us financially, help us to build social connections and help us to be more selfless… Would you do it?
A sharing economy is a peer-to-peer collaborative economy where human and physical resources are shared. It sometimes involves money and it sometimes doesn’t. But no matter how you use it, it will benefit you in one of the above ways.
You see we all waste so much. I’m not talking about clothes we grow out of or food that we dispose of. I’m talking about the everyday things that we take for granted. The three or four spare seats in the car, the spare bedroom that never gets touched unless the grandkids sleep over or the vegetables we grow in our garden that die before we have a chance to use them.
The sharing economy makes use of those things we’re wasting so other people can benefit from them and possibly you too. By doing things like:
They’re small things but they’re all based around three key principals; you have to trust to be trusted, unused value is wasted value and it’s sharing not owning. Whether you are the recipient of a service or the provider of a service in a sharing economy, there are benefits financially, emotionally and socially. It’s not the answer to the big problems in life but it is definitely a step towards living a better, kinder more valuable life.
Tell us, do you already use any “sharing economy” principles?