How do you balance what you “want” with what is “needed”?

Talking to someone today reminded me of a life lesson I learned at around 17 years of age.

I was talking to a friend’s Father about random things and we got onto the topic of material possessions.

He shared with me his personal belief about “things”.

The back story on the thread of this conversation was that he was telling me how he didn’t have this, didn’t want that….and, instead made sure he had this other thing. He said, “You have to separate your wants from your needs”.

Think about this concept.

Let it soak in…

His story of how he came to believe this was multi-fold. He had worked a retail job as a manager and his health was abysmal. He was losing teeth and aging very fast. His Doctor told him he needed to make some changes or die too young.

He shifted into a lifestyle entrepreneur role by quitting and betting it all on a business. He created a lifestyle where he could take off every Wednesday to go water skiing in his amazing boat with his kids and their friends (me).

I really absorbed that concept. One of the lessons in this: He shifted his focus from depleting his energy and health only to help a corporation to succeed — into a mode of  living for himself, his family and his customers.

Then… what I didn’t realize until much later was that he installed a performance bomb into my mind. You see, he went on to also explain that he was a firm believer that most material things you don’t need and therefore you needed to separate your wants (desire) from your needs (basic food/shelter). Whoa.

Listen, we all have belief systems that work for us and serve us…and some that do not serve us — and, definitely don’t work for us.

His concept was seemingly practical. His concept was also a scarcity minded poison.

I came to realize, in time, that his definition of “separate your wants from your needs” was different than the ideal definition of it. The ideal definition is actually…you must come to understand your desires and wants and how to turn some of them into needs, because you are worthy. You deserve it and you should have it and in order to have it you must accept it into your needs. Go ahead, read that again…

“…you must come to understand your desires and wants and how to turn some of them into needs, because you are worthy. You deserve it and you should have it and in order to have it you must accept it into your needs.”

Is this soaking in?

So, you don’t strive to balance.

You strive to shift.

Shift desires into needs and accept those wants into existence.

To your massive success!!