Needs vs Wants

Do you ever find yourself staring into a shop window at a shiny new thingamajigit and think, "Oh! I NEED that!!"

I do, often. There are so many things that I think I need. A Kindle, an iPhone, a Tivo, more clothes, a thermos, a crock pot. I "need" them all.

Except the truth is, there is so very little that I actually need.

When I left LA and moved to London, I left a lot of stuff in my mom's house in storage boxes. Things I was sure I'd need. Then I packed up two suitcases and took them with me to London.

Well, as it happens, one suitcase ended up staying at my aunt's place outside of London for several months. So, for several months, I was living off of basically one suitcase worth of stuff.

And you know what? I was basically fine.

Sure, there were things I missed on occasion. But it turned out that there was really very little I needed ... few pairs of clothes, my computer, sheets, towels, etc and I was good to go.

And it made me realize how most of the things we think are needs are actually just wants. Some of them, like a crock pot, might be very useful wants. But the fact is, you can get by without them.

So now, when I look in a shop window, and am filled with longing for a shiny new thingamabob, I take a moment to remember that these are wants not needs. And as some wise men once said, "You cant always get what you want. But if you try sometimes well you might find, you get what you need."