Doesn’t have to be a thing you bought. Just some thing you didn’t have but then once you did it expanded your scope of actions.
The first obvious example that comes to mind is a car. Plenty of drawbacks to prevalence of cars, but being able to go where I want when I want, and far away, is very transformative.
I’m interested in other examples of things that aren’t just useful, but that open new possibilities.
I had a teacher advise me to make a habit of occasionally seeking out embarrassment, to stay in the habit, and prevent being paralyzed by fear of embarrassment.
I’ve followed that advice for years, and it’s like a super power.
I’ve done so much cool shit that a previous version of myself would have been afraid to try.
I don’t even remember all the embarrassing stuff, even though there’s plenty. The cool stuff is what sticks in my memory, even though I’m prone to remembering my mistakes.
Saw a Ted talk that said the same thing. The guy over came some social anxiety by actively putting himself in an awkward situation each day (his was asking if he could get his coffee for free at the coffee shop). Once he got use to low stakes situations where people were surprised, confused or mildly judgemental (but also amused or just disinterested) it was easier to do things that actually mattered without worrying about people’s reactions. And he got a few free coffees.