Define your number for "enough"

A target you never name is one you can never hit — so name it on purpose.

Why it works

Without a defined finish line, "more" becomes the default goal by absence of any other, and every gain raises the next target. Explicitly naming what is enough — in money, possessions, or status — gives ambition a stopping rule, converting an infinite chase into a reachable, satisfiable goal. The act of defining is what makes contentment structurally possible.

How to do it

1. Write down, concretely, what "enough" looks like for you in a given domain.
2. Distinguish enough-to-be-content from the open-ended "more" your environment pushes.
3. Revisit the definition deliberately, rather than letting it drift upward by default.

Evidence

This is primarily a mindset framing rather than a tested protocol, but it connects to goal-setting research (clear, defined goals outperform vague ones) and to well-being work showing that materialistic, ever-rising aspirations correlate with lower life satisfaction. Locke and Latham’s 35-year goal-setting synthesis establishes that specific, defined goals reliably outperform vague "do your best" aims — the direct mechanism by which naming a concrete "enough" gives ambition a stopping rule. (mechanistic)

The "define your enough" practice itself is practitioner framing; the underlying links (defined goals, materialism and well-being) are studied, the specific exercise is not.

Sources

• Kasser & Ryan (1996), materialistic aspirations and lower well-being (broad supporting literature)
• Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2002). Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A 35-year odyssey. American Psychologist, 57(9), 705–717.
• Kasser, T., & Ryan, R. M. (1996). Further examining the American dream: Differential correlates of intrinsic and extrinsic goals. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 22(3), 280–287.
• Kasser, T., & Ryan, R. M. (1993). A dark side of the American dream: Correlates of financial success as a central life aspiration. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65(2), 410–422.

Common mistake

Refusing to name a number because "you should always aim higher," which leaves more as the permanent default and contentment permanently out of reach.