How do you effectively weigh your needs and wants and separate them?
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How do you effectively weigh your needs and wants and separate them?
I have three categories that I use – needs, wants and likes. Needs are things that I require to be happy – they are non-negotiable. If I do not get a “need” met then there is no way around it. Wants are things that are important to me, but that I would be willing to negotiate around.
Likes are “oh and if it’s not too much trouble, I would like this” – no biggie if it can’t be met, but it would be nice if it was. You have to be careful what you put in your “needs”, because they are absolutes.
Need is very essential for us, for example, air with oxygen to breathe, food to eat, sleep etc.
Want is something I desire to have, it could be a “need” or not. For example, if I am in short supply of air to breathe, I not only need it, I also want it. But wants tend to go beyond need, and our own attachment to our want makes it sound like a need. For example, one may want to have a drink to relax and recoup, but the attachment to the drink makes one feel to say, “I need a drink”. When a “need” also becomes a want, it is a genuine lack of privilege in life, for example a poor person wants to have food as she or he is quite hungry and can’t afford to have food.
When a “want” also becomes a “need”, it is a craving towards addiction, may be mild and it may not be a big deal. We need to watch on both our needs turning into wants and our wants turning into needs, both are unfortunate situations we do not deserve to have.