Member-only story
What We Want vs What We Need
Life Keeps Giving Us the “Wrong” One
I had found myself in my closet last week, looking around with clothes that I’d never worn. At this point, I was considering ordering another black sweatshirt from my phone. Obviously, this one would be different. This would be the perfect black sweatshirt.
I didn’t need another black sweatshirt. What I needed was to deal with the anxiety that I was shopping away.
It was then that it hit me — the eternal leading battle existing between what we want and what we actually need. Like two little voices in your head, whereby one screams, “Buy it! Date them! Take the job!” while the other whispers, “But is this what you really need?”
We are masters at convincing ourselves that our wants are actually needs. Trust me, I am an expert at this. I wanted a fancy job title; well, I needed respect. I wanted a big apartment; well, I needed space. I wanted a relationship; I needed someone to complete me.
Plot twist: None of those things filled the gaps I was trying to fill.
That prestigious job? It was so stressful I couldn’t sleep at night. The bigger apartment? Just more room to fill with stuff I didn’t need. And that relationship I jumped into? Well, let’s just say being with the wrong person feels way lonelier than being alone.
