Needs vs wants

We constantly try to get what we want, while the truth is that we only put in effort to get what we need.

What defines “desires or wants” and “needs”?

Through desires we understand a strong feeling of wanting something, that is usually described as nice to have or expected of us, but does not usually lead to behavior. Desires are things we think we need. They are usually projected in the future and promise our minds well-being and satisfaction. When describing desires, we use words like “nice”, “wish”, “would” or “could” in order to represent an ideal situation in the future where our lives are better and with a higher degree of satisfaction.

On the other hand, needs are desires that our mind decided must be gratified, leading to a behavior. Most of the time they are described as insufficiencies in our lives or something that is essential for our well-being. The key element in defining and understanding needs is that they always lead to some form of action. Because of the subconscious nature of our needs, we find it difficult to describe needs, even though their satisfaction implies rapid and seamless action. Needs are always focused on the present or the immediate future and have a great impact on our personal satisfaction and our mood. When describing needs, we use words like “want”, “must” and “should”, but defining the need.

Usually, we confuse desires with needs. Intrinsic motivation helps us invest some actions into our desires, before we involuntarily focus on our needs, leading to wasted time and effort and the lack of accomplishments in our lives.

We need to be aware of both our needs and our desires. Needs are difficult to change, but we can adjust the level of effort put in satisfying our needs. Some desires are difficult to satisfy.

Balance and success depend on the awareness of our needs and how we achieve them and the filtering of our desires, making sure we invest time and resources in relevant, intrinsic desires.