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Although perhaps not the ones which immediately may come to your mind, both want and need certainly qualify as four-letter words. After a childhood of being drilled about the difference between want and need, I find myself unable to clarify how either of these (or both) relate to my present life. I have an ingrained understanding that needs are necessary and wants are optional, but, as an adult looking for fulfillment and satisfaction, can't I begin to consider what I ultimately want as necessary?
There seems to be an inordinate amount of muddiness right now in my (semi)personal life - I can't figure some basic stuff out and am positively struggling to position myself firmly in the moment. I am trying my best to refuse the voice in my head that keeps shouting - "Where is this going?" Instead, I'm attempting to listen more closely to the voice in my heart - the one that keeps asking me "What do you want?" In all truthfulness, this is exceedingly difficult after a lifetime of measuring most everything with a yardstick of need, rather than a ruler marked with hash marks indicating want, and I'm floundering.
How do you define the needs in life vs. the wants? Does the balance between the two remain constant for you or are you continually weighing these fundamental components of life trying to achieve some sort of personal sense of harmony? And where and when do you introduce those other four-letter words into the equation, you know, words like love and work and time?
These mental exercises are bringing additional words to mind, but, I'll allow you to fill in the blanks yourself.
I was brought up much like you with the need want thing clearly defined. However, as I got older I realized that I need to be happy, and for that to happen I need to indulge in my wants. What you need in life are basic necessities, filling that necessity only continues on the path of sustaining life. While want caters to so many other facets of self, indulging in those fulfills your need for want. This sometimes gets me in to trouble because I will over extend myself(either financially, emotionally, mentally, or combination of all). But I have learned to make a balance so I can have those wants that make me happy without over indulgens. You need to find your balance Sil, good luck.
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