St Joseph Primary School was one of the first English primary schools in the country. Run by the sisters of the Catholic Church, it had some amazing uniforms. Classic khaki shorts or skirts, white shirts, and blue or green sweaters. Most of the schools were wearing blue shorts or skirts. 

The school recommends that each student have at least three pairs for hygiene and durability. But they did not make that a mandatory condition to avoid segregating people like me who could only afford two pairs.

In the beginning, I had two pairs of shorts and shirts with only one sweater. Over the years, I usually had one pair. I couldn’t wear the other in public since it was too damaged. I felt embarrassed by that condition but had nothing to do, so life went on.

I thought that situation would end during secondary school, but it was a false hope. One trick defined my secondary school years. I wore my uniform in the morning, then washed it in the evening. This way, I could wear it again the next day. Sometimes it was so tiring that I chose to skip school rather than wash the clothes to wear them the next day.

Throughout that time, I felt unhappy about my condition. I did not have much clothing outside of school uniforms, too, so it did not help. While my friends wore outfits for church, mosque, New Year, Christmas, and Eid, I had only my old clothes. I believed I would be happier when I had more clothes like everyone else.

God heard my cry and wishes. He helped me become one of the university students eligible for loans and allowances. That gave me extra money to spend at the university, and the first thing I did was buy as many clothes as I could.

I didn’t end there; I even started designing my own clothes and creating my own style. It was not a rare thing to find me changing more than three pairs of clothes in the same day. I had clothes for the morning. Then, I would go to the hostel to change for the afternoon seminars. After that, I would return to change for sports.

I had limited money to buy clothes at university. I wasn’t happy with my situation, even though I had more clothes than in primary and secondary school. God blessed me with a high-paying job immediately after finishing university.

Before starting the job, we got a large sum of money for official clothes. I bought as many clothes as the money allowed. In the first few months of the job, I kept on buying as many clothes as I could. In two years at my job, I built up eight suits, over ten pairs of shoes, and many shirts, trousers, and shorts.

Even with endless money to buy clothes, I wasn’t as happy as I thought I would be. Back when I had one school uniform, I felt more content. I thought having more clothes would make me happier.

The reality was I would only enjoy the new for a few days or weeks, then the appetite for a new one would come. New fashion would pop up and the new urge to add it to my closet would increase. I realised that I am chasing a ghost, and if I don’t change, I will trap myself forever.

That is where I had to learn the true concept of happiness. Happiness is not about having more of things and stuff. Happiness is more about accepting what you have. Happiness is about quality rather than quantity. Happiness involves being satisfied with less, even though one can get more.

We tend to think more things would make us happier. We think having more relationships would mean more fun, love, and joy. We think more friends mean more fun and memories. We think the more phones and accessories we have, the cooler we become. We think more cars, more houses, and more toys mean more happiness.

I embraced the concept of minimalism in my clothing habits and I could not have been more happy. I started buying a few high-quality clothes. They would last for years and be fun to wear on many occasions. I began searching for timeless items that weren’t swayed by fleeting trends.

Now, I have several pairs of trousers and shirts that are the same colour, material, and design. So, I don’t worry about what to wear. Everything looks the same and has a purpose. I have special clothes for special occasions. I have embraced a rule of giving out one item before adding another item to my wardrobe.

I am very happy now in my life, more than I have ever been. I have channelled that lesson into all aspects of my life. There was a time I thought having more friends would make me happier. Now I have few friends who are offering me more joy, peace, support, and love than hundreds of shallow friends I had.

I prefer my old, tough car over stressing about all the new ones hitting the market. I am loving my iPhone 12 that I bought six years ago rather than worry about the latest iPhone 16 from last year. I am happy with my few outdoor places, hotels, or adventures that give me the best satisfaction.

I have learned that the key to happiness is not in more. I hope you find the insight to understand this, no matter what you have been pursuing all your life.

May you be happy.

May you be healthy.

May you be free from suffering.

May you find peace and joy.

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Rogers Katuma

Financial Artist, Senior Adventurer, Occasional Storyteller and an Amateur Golfer