Needs Vs. Wants

Needs are the things we have to have to survive.

Wants are things we desire but can live without.

The question comes down to what does "survival" mean to you. Or to put it another way, what kind of life you're currently living and what life you desire to live.

If you're struggling to find food to eat everyday, then your food needs will look one way. Life and death comes down to having any food at all because being picky about it might mean going without.

If you are suffering from celiac disease, and have food to choose from, then being picky about what you eat can be the difference between being able to function without pain and not. That is of course if you are in a position to choose.

Both people have needs for food and they look differently. Both "needs" are valid for the people experiencing them.

When I had my awakening last Spring and realized that performing for me, wasn't a want that I could live without, it was an actual need for my soul to express itself, my life changed in profound ways.

I had convinced myself for years that sharing my art through performance was a desire that was superfluous, that "didn't really matter," that there was "more important things" to do with my time.

Once I started listening to the tiny voice within me saying that just the opposite was true, I started to live my life more deeply and authentically. I started making time each day to practice and hone my craft. I started creating more. I started sharing more. What has unfolded for me in just a year's time has brought me some of the greatest joys I've experienced.

Moving performing out of the "want" category and into a "need" category, transformed me into the person I've been secretly wishing I was for years. It's created for me a life that's rich and exciting and filled with joy.

So take a moment now and look at what you've put in your "want" category. Which activity or item, if it was prioritized in your life as a necessity, would created the greatest impact on your health, happiness, and wellbeing? Take the next month and pretend that you can't absolutely live without this thing and see how you feel.

You might be surprised at how much you've been missing from not having this need in your life.