Need or Want
People feel pain when they haven’t obtained what they want, and feel pain even after obtaining it because they realize it’s not what they truly wanted, and then enter into the cycle of blind pursuit again.
In the workplace, new employees come and go quickly, or stay but feel like they are working day and night. I found that this comes from a vague self-positioning and future vision. That is to say, when you are not sure if this is what you want, when faced with challenges and difficulties, you are prone to self-doubt and then give up easily. This is a situation I have experienced myself, and I have found that many colleagues have similar problems.
Here, I think there is a way to improve this situation, which is to clarify the definitions of needs and wants. For example, I define “want” as an abstract future vision that may change constantly, and “need” as the actions that must be taken in the current context to achieve the “want”. For example, in the future, I want to start a business, but because I currently have no savings and plans, I need to have a stable job and extra time to prepare. This way, your mind is settled. In addition, there is a clear answer as to when to leave, that is, when what you need cannot be obtained here, it is time to change jobs. Of course, sometimes it also needs to be viewed from the perspective of the company. The company hires you because you can meet their current needs.
No matter whether an individual or a company, resources are always limited in the process of operation, and pursuing every “want” requires taking risks and paying costs. Of course, we must also consider the market “needs”. Wanting everything is dangerous and can easily lead to conflicts with others due to limited resources, and it may also prevent us from trying new things. All in all, we should strive for what we deserve, but once we achieve our previously set goals, we should stop pursuing and patiently wait if we haven’t achieved them yet. This is what “need” can provide us with — a sense of peace.
