Needs vs. Wants
I recently wrote a blog on why the age-old saying “Bad habits are hard to break” is true. You can read more about it here, but to sum it up, basically, it’s because the only way to replace bad habits is with good habits and good habits require discipline on our end. For those of us that just can’t seem to remain disciplined to create a good habit to replace the bad, let’s take a look at it from another lens.
As we were growing up, adults would talk to and teach us about the difference between “Needs” and “Wants.” This became an extremely beneficial lesson when, as teenagers, we would be entrusted with driving, owning our first cars, and holding down our first paying job. The lesson on “Needs” and “Wants” was so beneficial because we could easily take our paycheck and spend it on everything we “wanted” like CDs, clothes, and video games. If we spent every hard-earned dime on our “wants,” when it came time for things we “needed” like gas, food, and insurance, we wouldn’t be able to secure those and would wind up putting ourselves in unfavorable situations.
Some learn this lesson easily while others don’t. My children are currently 10 and 13 as of the writing of this blog and my wife and I are teaching these lessons on a continual basis. I hope that it all sinks in and takes root by the time they are exploring some freedoms in a few short years.
For the purpose of this blog though, habits, both good and bad, can be identified as “Needs” and “Wants.” All of our bad habits, the ones many of us are trying to break free from, knowing they are serving no purpose in progressing us closer to our goals, those bad habits are our “Wants.” They are all of the things that we want in our lives because it’s easier, it feels good, and it doesn’t take any effort on our part. On the other hand, those habits we are striving to make a staple in our lives, to become routine and replace our bad habits, those are our “Needs.” These “Needs” are what we know are essential to our progress, our success, yet they take work. They take discipline. They take sacrifices to embark on a daily basis.
Growing up we have all learned the lesson of “Needs” vs. “Wants” when it comes to being a successful adult. For those of us that are struggling with eliminating those bad habits that are holding us back from being who we know we can be, try looking at your habits, good and bad, through the lens of your “Needs” and “Wants” in your life.
Please check out my latest book, The EduCulture Cookbook: Recipes & Dishes to Positively Impact Classroom & School Culture with EduMatch Books & my podcast, Punk Rock Classrooms.
https://bit.ly/educulturecookbookamazon
https://www.punkrockclassrooms.com/
