Have you ever convinced yourself that a new planner, another notebook, or that random gadget in your online shopping cart was going to change your life?
You're not alone.
In this first installment of Sunday Seeds of Thought, Dr. Carmela Maxell explores the psychology behind weekend impulse purchases and why so many of us find ourselves filling our carts on Sunday evenings. What if those purchases aren't really about what we're buying—but about what we're feeling?
Through humor, practical insights, and thoughtful reflection, this episode invites you to pause before clicking "Buy Now" and consider what you're really searching for.
Sometimes the greatest investment isn't another package on your doorstep—it's preparing your mind, your heart, and your week.
Join us for a lighthearted conversation that just might change the way you think about your shopping cart...and yourself.
Sunday Seeds of Thought is a weekly 10-minute series designed to help you begin each week with greater intention, resilience, and perspective.
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Dr. Carmela Maxell: Welcome to Rooted in Rising, Sunday Seeds of Thought. I'm doctor Carmella Maxwell. And before we get started, I have one question for you. What's in your Amazon cart? Heh No seriously. Go look. I'll wait. You back? Good. Now tell me, do you actually need any of it? Or have you somehow convinced yourself that a 12-pack of aesthetic glass food containers, a desktop waterfall, and a candle that smells like financial stability are absolutely essential for Monday morning? Because same. And here's how I know I'm not alone. Every Sunday, without fail, around 4 PM. Something happens. Saturday is full of hope. I'm gonna reorganize my closet. I'm meal prepping. I'm going to journal. I'm going to become the kind of person who drinks lemon water every morning. Sunday morning still feels pretty good. Then around four o'clock, the vibes shift. You suddenly remember you have to go to work tomorrow. Laundry still isn't folded. The dish is somehow multiplied while you weren't looking. Your inbox is already stressing you out. And somehow, Amazon knows. Isn't that creepy? You think one innocent thought. Hmm, maybe I should organize my office. And suddenly your phone says, People who bought one desk organizer also purchased 27 acrylic bins. A label maker. A rolling card, three motivational wall signs, a tiny fake succulent, and somehow a waffle maker. Because apparently organization and waffles go together. Amazon has looked directly into your soul. And honestly, I don't appreciate it. Now don't misunderstand me. I'm not anti-Amazon and I'm not anti shopping. I use Amazon all the time. Trust me, I love a good store run. I love bookstores. And I have enough notebooks and pens and pencils to open my own office depot. Can we talk about notebooks for a second? Why do we keep buying notebooks? Or in my case, planners. Every single time we convince ourselves this notebook, this one, this is the notebook that's finally going to change my life. Not because we filled the other twelve. No. Those are sitting beautifully on the shelf, waiting for the future version of us who's apparently organized, color coded, emotionally regulated, and wakes up at five AM to meditate. Spoiler alert, she never showed up. She snoozed her alarm. But here's where this gets interesting. I don't actually think we're buying products. I think we're buying possibilities. That planner? We're buying hope. That new coffee mug? We're buying the fantasy that Monday morning is suddenly going to feel like we're starring in a cozy Hallmark movie. That expensive gym water bottle. We're buying the version of ourselves who somehow enjoys burpees. We're not purchasing objects. We're purchasing identities. Because buying something feels productive. It's much easier to click Buy now than it is to ask ourselves, what am I avoiding? Ouch. Because sometimes we're not avoiding the gym. We're avoiding disappointment. We're not avoiding meal prep. We're avoiding feeling overwhelmed. We're not shopping because we need another thing. We're shopping because we need relief. Shopping gives us a tiny dopamine hit. That little burst of excitement. You'll receive your package tomorrow. Wonderful. Tomorrow's version of me is thrilled. Today's version of me still has to answer emails. See the problem? Now here's my challenge. Don't delete the item. Leave it there. Seriously. Just leave it. Walk away, close the app, go outside. Drink some water. Call your mom. Pet your cat. Mine would appreciate that. Do literally anything else. And then come back Tuesday. Not tomorrow. Tuesday. If you still genuinely want it, buy it. No guilt. No shame. But if you forgot it even existed, congratulations. You just saved yourself twenty seven dollars and ninety-nine cents plus shipping. Actually, no, shipping was free. But of course it was. Here's something I want you to remember this week. The life you're hoping to buy usually isn't sitting in a shopping cart. It's built one habit at a time, one difficult conversation, one healthy boundary, one early bedtime, one prepared Monday morning, one decision, repeated over and over again. That's how lives change. Not because of the newest planner, although let's be honest, it's a really nice planner. So before you click buy now tonight, pause. Ask yourself four questions. Do I actually need this? Am I solving a problem or soothing a feeling? Will I still want this Tuesday? And finally, What would happen if I invested this same energy into myself instead? Because maybe, just maybe, the thing you've been looking for was never in your cart. It was waiting in the quiet space between the impulse and the purchase. Thank you for spending part of your Sunday with me. If this episode made you laugh, or if I just personally attacked your Amazon cart, I hope you'll share it with someone who needs to hear it. And before you go, maybe leave that item in your cart for just forty eight hours. Who knows? You might discover that what you really needed wasn't another package. It was a little perspective. Until next Sunday, stay rooted, keep rising, and maybe stay off of Amazon for the rest of the evening. I'll be trying to do the same.