Some time ago I came up with a hair-brained idea. I decided to live a year with only 100 personal possessions. I call it the "100 Thing Challenge." It is an attempt to see if the average American guy, living an average suburban life can make it through a year without being overwhelmed by stuff. And now with a recession in full swing, it seems timely to resist consumerism.

But the 100 Thing Challenge is also relevant around the New Year. Have you ever noticed that we often buy our way into achieving our New Year's resolutions? That is especially curious because so many of our resolutions are about getting rid of stuff.

We resolve to lose weight. We buy a new treadmill for workouts. We resolve to get out of debt. We buy new budgeting software for money management. We resolve to find a better job. We buy a new suit for interviews.

And even when we resolve to add an achievement to our lives, we often buy our way to success. We resolve to run a 5k. We buy new running shoes. We resolve to write a novel. We buy a new computer. We resolve to get organized. We buy a new day planner.

How is it that resolutions about purging lead us to purchasing? And why do we buy our way to achievements? I have a theory.

Americans like to shop for accomplishments.

There are any number of reasons why an ethos of consumerism pervades our efforts to reach our goals. At least one reason, I think, is that buying stuff kind of feels like an accomplishment. We walk out of a store with a bag full of stuff, and we feel like we are halfway to our goal.

Of course we're not. In fact, that store is not anywhere near our goal. Let me give an example. I really like to hike, especially up hill. The views from a large mountain are unbeatable. And the feeling of accomplishment after trudging up a mountain is wonderful. Living in Southern California, there are plenty of places for me to get out, hit the trail and bag a peak. So where do I find myself going? REI of course.

That store has got all the gear I will ever need to tackle California's fourteeners. I can buy everything to reach my goal: backpack, sleeping bag, boots, crampons and ice axe (just in case), trekking poles, tent and more. In fact, as best as I can tell, there are only three things required to reach my goal of hiking mountains that I cannot buy at an REI store. Skills. Legs. Lungs.

Shopping for resolutions is a very real temptation for lots of people. But it is a distraction that often leaves us ill prepared to achieve our New Year's resolutions. Also, trying to buy our way to our goals ignores the reality of a frequent outcome of what we set out to accomplish. Failure.

Call me a pessimistic sourpuss, but let's face it, we regularly don't achieve our New Year's resolutions. Remember Dr. Seuss's advice? "Wherever you fly, you'll be the best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest. Except when you don't because, sometimes, you won't. I'm sorry to say so but, sadly, it's true and Hang-ups can happen to you."

So what happens if we buy our way to a New Year's resolution and get stymied? Well, we'll have to deal with failure, which is natural and healthy. But also we'll have a closet full of crap reminding us that not even the fanciest gear and most generous credit card can handle all our goals. And it's been my experience that stuff does not provide lasting comfort after a let down.

So that's a side benefit of the 100 Thing Challenge. This year I don't have the option of buying my way to success. I cannot experience that small jolt of accomplishment at the cash register in 2009. Achievement will just have to wait for the real thing. Cannot wait.