The need vs want vs desire actions and thoughts are ones that everyone has, these thoughts and actions are what makes tasks easy, difficult, and even unbearable. To align your thoughts and actions to make your life less stressful one must understand the difference between all three of the areas.
According to Dictionary.com the Definition of Need – (noun) a requirement, necessary duty, or obligation (verb) to be under an obligation or to have need of; require. The definition of Want- (Noun) A lack or deficiency of something; (verb) to feel a need or a desire for. The definition of Desire- (Noun) A strong feeling of wanting to have something or wishing for something to happen; a yearning; a longing; a craving; an aspiration (verb) to strongly wish for something. By taking into account the definitions of each the thoughts and actions one to should choose are those of desire, by choosing this path you will have the least resistance.
Now if you have ever been in therapy or have read any personal development books you are probably familiar that many suggest you have want thoughts and actions and not need. By wanting something you feel like it is something that is not a necessity or a pain. However by evaluating the definitions above you can see that when it comes to need vs want vs desire the teaching of want vs need loses its effectiveness. Now let’s break away from semantics for a moment and just put the thoughts and sayings to the test say these aloud:
I need more money
I want more money
I desire more money
Did you see any difference when you said them aloud? For example, did you feel a sense of unease when you said “need” did you feel better when you said “want” or “desire”, or did you feel nothing at all? Most of the time when the need actions or thoughts come up there is a feeling of lack, because when you need something you don’t have it. However when it comes to want vs desire (definition aside) some people feel the difference less resistance when saying or doing something they desire, because many times when people want something it is because they do not have it as well.
So what do you do, Do you word to change need thoughts to want thoughts or desire thoughts? We would say whatever feels best; if you say the word need do you feel a lack and do you feel the same when you feel want? Or do you feel the same with all of them? This can be a sticky area for people when it comes to thought changing so here is what we do:
- We stay away from need
- We are flexible when we want something because sometimes we just want a new pair of shoes when we already has them , while other times we want a house on an island which we do not have
- We embrace desire, we shift to desire whenever we can for feel a sense of discomfort with a thought or action that was need or want based
- We do not overthink it, and this is key the more you say “no I don’t need it I desire it” you are putting pressure on yourself so work on shifting your thoughts gently
If you put into practice shifting your thoughts to whatever feels best for you for at least one month, it will become natural. A great way to start this is to start writing twice a day morning and night. In the morning write all the things you desire, and at night write all the thoughts or actions you did during the day that were want or need based and write them as a desire for example:
I desire to take out the trash because I love it when my house it clean and sanitary
If you have any additional tips or techniques that you use when it comes to need vs want vs desire we would love to hear them, please leave us a comment that we can share with our readers.
