Overindulging or acting unconsciously is quite different from being lavish. When we are lavish, we inhabit the unconflicted realm of Yes — wholehearted and intentional enthusiasm for life. . . . When we make strict rules for ourselves about what is allowed and how we may feel, we’re being stingy with ourselves. That stinginess leads to frustration, suspicion, righteous anger, and, ultimately, grim resignation. If we don’t believe we can have what we want, we unconsciously create lifestyles that assure we can’t possibly be fulfilled.
— Victoria Castle, The Trance of Scarcity, p. 125