Life gives you what you need, not what you want. Needs are natural, wants are not. The danger in getting what you want? You'll always want more. Needs are met, wants never are (and that's how you know the difference).
Once you get what you need, stop looking. Looking for more is wanting. When you want more, beyond what you need, you'll never been satisfied. Only needs are satisfied.
I might want more, but I have everything I need.
Freedom is knowing when to stop. When you are satisfied with less and you'll want less. And wanting less is freedom.
To discern the difference between a need or want, ask; "How is this benefiting me right now? Does the benefit outweigh the burden?"
How does it feel to be around people who always want more? Compared to those who never want more?
I find myself at greater harmony with those who live simply and are satisfied with what they have... not obsessed with more.
The kicker? The more we appreciate the life we have, the less we need... and the less we need, the less we want. I have everything I need - always have and always will. That's peace.
We strive for what we want. We don't have to strive to get what we need, it just shows up because we do what we need to do to get what we need.
Look at the goals you've accomplished. You will likely find the one's you've achieved were needs and the one's you haven't were wants.
What I do each morning is listen to what I need. As I move through my day, I try to see the distinction between my wants and my needs.
My mantra: I will take what I need and leave what I want.
What are you entitled to? Your needs. Life (and other decent human beings) will provide what you need. It can get mucky when we are given more than we need. Life has a way of balancing out and I see that people who have far more than they need are often perpetually unsatisfied with their lives.
So what happens when you get more than you need? You become 'entitled.'
What is entitlement? Getting what you want.
The opposite of entitlement is often seen as a disadvantage... and the problem is when we are given more than we need, the entitlement to disadvantage gap only grows wider.
When it comes to clients... are you giving them what they need or what they want? Wants will never be satisfied. There will always be more wants. Needs are satisfied. Needs are effective.
As I look at the tasks & priorities - I ask myself: Is this a need or want?
When software is being written and updated - there's no doubt a never ending wish list, but often adding too many features because to degrade the entire product... so asking the question if it is a need or want can help avoid creating software that is too difficult to use.
If I was satisfied with my needs instead of my wants, I'd have a lot less... and would be less of a burden on the world. I am asking myself more often now if what I think I need is actually a want.
Give people what they need, not what they want. When you discover that what you do is what people need, and that you enjoy providing what they need, you discover the key.
Is meeting the needs of others meeting your needs? When it is, you've found synergy in the world.
In a moments of confusion, we are often mixing up our needs and wants.
I spend an hour looking for my watch. It turns out, I had been wearing it the whole time! Keep this in mind when you ask the question that can transform your life:
In this moment right now, am I getting what I want? Do I know what I want? when you don't know what you want, I can guarantee you're getting it.
Ok, so you tell me you are not getting what you want. Then the next question to ask yourself is, what can I do to move towards what I want?
Our wants are like the buoy that came unhinged in Utah Ironman. We'll never actually get it. It's a carrot our mind uses to motivate us to act. Goals give us motivation to swim, but by design, they will never be reached. We'll just keep setting different ones.
Resiliency give us the strength to overcome what we can, endure what we can't, and let go of everything else.
We either overcome it or learn to live with it.
This one question, when asked, can turn everything around.
Ask yourself:
Right now, what do I want? Am I getting what I want?
Right now, what do I need? Am I getting what I need?
Will we ever have everything that we want? No. The nature of a want is that it's never ever satisfied. The more we get, the more we want.
Your wants are not designed to be met, but your needs are.
When you live within your means, to me it means you are living life on your terms, terms in which you feel in a constant state of peace.
But that's not the norm. We are blasted with messages, propaganda from marketers, that we need more than we've got. That we are not enough unless we are measuring up to the bar set by others. It's not enough to have a house. You need a better house. It's not enough to live near the ocean, you should get an ocean view.
You've likely never been deprived of your needs. Some people think they need more than they do, but they don't.
All I need is air to breath, food/water, shelter, clothing, and security.
Am I getting what I need?
I Always have, and I always will.
Everything else is optional and most of what I get in life is a bonus.
Bonuses: * The ocean * Music * A woman who loves me * Friends who care * A family to support me * A successful business * Clients who trust me
Why do consumer education and financial literacy classes begin by looking at needs and wants? It’s a simple concept – nothing new. It is always easiest to begin a journey with what we already know.
There are some things we all must absolutely have to survive: food, water, shelter, clothing, other people. These are the “bare-bone” minimums. Some of us will be happy with the bare necessities, but all of us will sometimes want to have a more.
If needs are what we must have, wants are the things that make us happier.
I need transportation to live in modern society. I may not be able to walk to work. There may not be any public transportation. In this case, I need a car, but I might want a new car – something fancier and more expensive that gives me a more comfortable ride lets me take in owning it.
If we make a list of things we need, we can almost always identify ways to meet them with something better, fancier, more fun, or more stylish. I do not need the latest, greatest, biggest, and the best things that I might want. I can meet needs in simpler, less expensive ways. Life is about compromises. It’s true, “ya can’t always get what you want.”
As consumers, we all learn this is true. Even wealthy people learn that some things cost more than we are willing or able to pay. When consumers face buying decisions, it is helpful to think about compromises.
How much do I have to spend to meet my needs? When spending money, we can ask ourselves whether or not we can afford what we want or if we should save money by settling for things that give us what we need.
We don’t have unlimited funds. When we work for a living, we work hard, so we should spend carefully. Remember, every dollar we don’t spend or that we save is just as valuable as a new dollar we work hard to earn.
We can learn to spend carefully – wisely – by understanding the things we need to have and the things we want to have, but that we can do without. There are some things we all need. There are things we need to buy and pay for. Financial literacy begins by understanding this.
There are many things we want and these can be fun to buy. The question is, am I better off to not spend that money?
Are there purchases I can do without? Should I buy some of the things I want later instead of now? Remember, when we live within our spending plan, we can be patient. We will find opportunities to buy things later. It pays to wait and buy things when we find great values.