It’s funny how different ideas start to come together.

Some time ago Dame Ellen McCarthy did a TED talk in which she described the circular economy – where we simply hire what we need and want and then return it when its no longer needed. At the same time sustainability Apple showcased a machine designed to disassemble iPhones at the end of their useful life. Every nut, bolt and Philips-head screw was removed and designed in to the next generation of phone.

Six months ago I wrote a blog describing Colin’s campervan. He had denied himself the campervan of his dreams as he thought he needed his savings for his ‘old age’. After some re-evaluation he bought the vehicle – put it to work doing all the things he had dreamed of doing and after two years he sold it, passing it to the next person, and in doing so he returned all bar £500 of capital to his old age savings fund.

In each case the message is the same, our ‘ownership’ of ‘stuff’ is transitional. Washing machines may only last a few years but we should be ‘throwing them out’ instead we should return them to the manufacturer so the parts can be used again. Wealthy families may pass ‘heirlooms’ down through generations, but each generation’s ownership is still transitional.

In the game of life the real winners are not those who end up with the biggest pile of toys, but those who have had the greatest fun playing with them!