Need Versus Want

When it comes to understanding a need from a want, it can be a struggle. The more we want something, the more we begin to see it as a need. So much so that the words need and want are used interchangeably. This makes the distinction between need and want even more difficult. Further complicating things is the fact that humans prefer pursuing wants over pursuing needs. Because of this, when we consider mental health, what we need to survive and thrive goes beyond what is necessary to live. What necessities are varies from person to person. For me, what I need can change day to day. This is because there are a lot of different factors contributing to my needs. What is necessary to thrive has levels.

Understanding the levels and nuances of essentials can help separate needs from wants. Additionally, understanding how to balance immediate, short-term, and long-term needs helps with resource allocation. Our biggest nonrenewable resource is time. Another resource that is limited is money. Being honest with yourself about how much you have of both can bring into focus what you need versus what you want. A prime example of this would be morning coffee. To get coffee from a store or Starbucks requires management of time and money: whether or not you can allocate the time and money to buy coffee at a convenience store or Starbucks. Being able to do a need assessment with regard to whether or not to allocate resources today can be helped by having your needs leveled.

When we have immediate needs, we should asses the impact tending to an immediate need will have on short-term and long-term needs. Through the process of sorting needs into immediate, short-term, and long-term, we will naturally come to understand that some of our needs are not actually necessary for us to thrive and that prioritizing wants, because we think of these as needs, holds us back. Once we give ourselves permission to have immediate, short-term, and long-term needs, we can fully unpack them and create a hierarchy that lets us understand what drives us and what our priorities are. Understanding our priorities allows us to see the difference between needs and wants that are specific to us.