What do you need to do?
What do you want to do?
What do you have to do?
Three very similar sounding but very different questions.
We can break most things in life down into three categories: needs, wants, and dreams.
Needs are things like food, shelter, love, money.
Wants are things like pumpkin scones, new Nikes, a good bottle of wine, quiet time.
Haves are our dreams. What can’t we stop thinking about? What would we give anything to do but feel like we are stuck? What scares us if we do it and scares us if we don’t?
Life really can’t exist without all three. But figuring out what percentage of our lives we spend with each is important. And it will be different for everyone.
I’m convinced that at any age we still really need the haves. The dreams. Those things that (as a friend in the Bootstrapper’s Workshop said) gnaw at us that we can’t let go of.
We become very good at ignoring them. Pushing them away somewhere. And making it seem like the needs and wants are a higher priority. And we suffer because of it.
I’m not saying ignore the first two. Or pretend like you don’t have to work hard to take care of your life. But that maybe we need a little more dream time. Time to focus on what lights that internal fire. Makes us feel real and raw emotions. Going there a little bit every day. And taking steps to make some of those dreams a reality.
Thanks for reading.
