Want vs. Need Part 2

     A popular song right now has the lyrics, "I should probably go to bed."  (Dan + Shay, "I Should Probably Go To Bed") Ever thought this to yourself?  I know; me too.  But then we proceed to scroll social media, watch TV, or stay up eating junk for another hour... or two... or four... no judgement here.  The thing is, most of us know what we need... more sleep, a less hectic schedule, more fresh air, a healthier meal, etc..  But most of the time we let our wants lead us instead of our needs.  

    We need a salad, but we want to eat a bag of chips.  We need to get eight hours of sleep, but we want to binge watch our favorite show...again.  There is a constant battle back and forth between those things.  The real magic happens when we align what we want and what we need; when we learn that deep down, what we want is to stop feeling tired and sluggish all the time, so therefore, what we want is to go to bed on time.  

    The more we start to see our habits in line with who we want to become, the easier it becomes to choose to do the things we need to do, because they become the things we want to do.  James Clear says it this way, "Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you want to become." (Atomic Habits) When you can really get this concept down in your heart, then it's no longer difficult to decided what to do.  You know who you are becoming, and so you make your choices in line with that identity.  ie...I am a healthy person (So you choose the salad).

    This is not the first time I've talked about this war between want vs. need, and in fact, you can check out my previous writing on it here. What's important though, is that we learn to recognize this battle and start to reconcile our thoughts to make our wants and needs the same things.  For example, I tried for a long time to cut sugar out of my diet, but it was so hard to resist because I wanted to eat candy or dessert.  But when I started noticing how terrible sugar makes me feel, I stopped wanting to eat it, and now, I rarely reach for the donut or cupcake, because I know sugar is not what I need, and it's also not how I want to feel.  I've aligned those two thoughts and created better habits for myself.  

    Where in your life do you need to start matching up your wants and needs so they are no longer in conflict but can work together to help you with becoming the person you desire to be?  Start today to find the wants which can fuel your needs, and build your habits around them.  You will discover renewed energy to pursue your goals and create better habits when you make what you need the same as what you want.  And yes, we probably all should go to bed.  I can't wait to see you succeed!

~K.L.W.