Wants and needs; the difference.
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When it comes to pure economics and budgeting, the difference between what we want and what we need is relatively apparent. On an emotional level; happiness, fulfillment, balance - our needs and wants become a little more complicated. Knowing and understanding the difference can be a game changer in our lives.
To want (or desire) something can have great value. Desire is a great motivator. Your hunger for something that you don’t need is the dangling carrot. Keep chasing. Stay hungry. However, every coin has two sides. The flip side of want is not so appetizing.
Maslo’s hierarchy of needs
Focusing on what you need is fiscally responsible and emotionally sound.
Wanting can lead to unhappiness because it’s a behavior that risks never being completely entertained. In other words, you risk developing an appetite for things that is never satiated; you always want more. As a result of that constant desire for more, for bigger, getter or faster, your soul becomes restless, disappointed… unhappy. It starves and constantly craves. You now live a vicious cycle of envy. This is a downside of capitalism or consumerism. We want and want and want. We compete with the neighbors because we want what they have. The neighbors are no longer the Jones’ next door. Everybody on social media is now an neighbor. According to Statista, an estimated 3.09 billion people will be using social media worldwide by 2021.
Finding your needs. Dig deep into your heart and soul. Be introspective and client to find what you really need. The answer is not money or power! Money, gets you perceived power. Power and money allow you to you more easily access the things that you need. In general our emotional needs are simple and cannot be bought: belonging, love, security and connection. The risk is this; money doesn’t buy genuine love or connection… it only buys short term substitutes which end up making us feel empty.
Ask yourself these 3 questions
What do you need to be happy?
What do you need to feel loved?
What do you need to fee safe?
The answers to those 3 questions are your fundamental needs. Keep them very honest and very basic. You might find that your deepest wants are deeply routed in needs that weren’t met in childhood. Those lacking needs are often disguised as fears that hold us back and addictions/cravings the drive us to poor decisions. Meeting and honoring our true needs is what gets us there; self actualization (top of Maslo’s hierarchy of needs). Now, go out, identify those needs and use them as fuel to reach higher.
Sincerely,
Vital Germaine
Life coach, keynote speaker, top selling author and President of ENGAGE Teams 360
