Jaye Lentin: Wanting or needing?

It's funny how the first response to the idea of change is always resistance. A little voice inside me screamed: “Oh no, my name is Jaye Lentin, I am 31 years old and I probably waste a lot.'' My first instinct was to decline. That way no one, including myself, would ever become aware of all the wasteful activities that are a part of my everyday life.

You shouldn't always get what you want.

When I think of all the things to waste money on, my eye starts to twitch involuntarily. It seems bizarre that I give nine hours of my life every day, to earn cash to get by, only to have it not at all reluctantly pried from my fingers by slick ads pushing "grass is greener" thoughts into my head.

I've often wandered through a mall, thinking "This place is filled with stuff that I need, how am I going to get it all home?" Thankfully I have come to realisze the difference between "needing" and "wanting".

Honestly, our needs are simple: food, water, fresh air, sunshine, shelter and social interaction are the things we truly require to be happy. They certainly drive my quest for financial stability.

I work to have money, to buy, to serve these true needs. Here's where "wanting" strolls over and throws a hair in the happy soup.

We need to eat healthy food, but we want to eat processed junk because that's what cool folks do to treat themselves after working hard.

We need to drink water, but we want to drink other beverages because that's how cool people socialise. We need to breathe oxygen, but we want to inhale smoke because we deserve our special rewards.

When we make a clear distinction between wanting and needing, it's easy to see that the things we want waste so much more than just our incomes.

I now understand that wanting is a manufactured desire, pushing me to pursue a constantly moving prize in the hope of feeling fulfilled.

So now when I find myself itching to part with some cash, I pause to ask if the purchase will add true value to my life. My honest answer is seldom yes and my wallet is all the better for it.