Goal setting can be exciting, but we need to remember that needs should always come before wants. Here’s how to identify the difference…
“Put your outdoor work in order and get your fields ready; after that, build your house.” (Proverbs 24:27)
It’s easy to get caught up in the whole goal-setting thing in January. Many of us see this time of year as a chance to hit reset on the mistakes or lapses of the previous year.
But going wild with all the changes we want to make can both frustrate us when reality sets in, and put our focus on things that aren’t as important.
Putting our wants first
I’ll be the first to admit it: I do this. I’m not proud of that fact, but there were many instances where I put my “want” goal ahead of my “need” goal this last year.
What I needed to do was spend more quality alone time with each of my children. To make space in my schedule for one-on-one time doing something they liked.
What I wanted to do was finish my book because I had set a reading goal for the year. Or I wanted to go for a solitary run because I had set a fitness goal (and I wanted the quiet time).
But I didn’t need to read another book or run another mile – I wanted those things. And the real need – building the relationship I have with my kids – was put off.
Identify your needs
In this verse of Proverbs, building a house wouldn’t be as necessary as caring for your animals or getting your fields ready so food would grow. A tent could do until the outside work was done. A house was a want.
Today, most of us get our food from the grocery store and don’t have any animals to care for – except maybe a disdainful cat or a mush-head dog. And if we are lucky, we are blessed with a permanent roof over our heads.
But we still have needs even if the most basic ones have already been met. Relationships, health, and faith to name a few. Identify your needs and put them at the top of your goals list this year.
What’s the difference between needs and wants
I mentioned before that I put my want for a run before my need to make time for my children. For some people, exercise is a need because their health suffers without it.
And while I have some health issues, my running has more to do with my own preference for being fit and having quiet than a health need. So, it is a want.
Knowing the difference between needs and wants means looking at the reason for the goal. Ask yourself:
- Does it benefit me or others?
- Will it have a long-term benefit or is it just for fun?
- Does it steal time from more important things?
If you find that your goals veer more toward the fun ones that you enjoy (e.g. my reading goal) and farther from the long-term ones that benefit others (e.g. showing your children that you value time with them), then it might be time to rethink them.
Time is finite, but the ways we can spend it are infinite.
Let’s make wise decisions that honor this gift we’ve been given.
Have a blessed Monday!
Looking for more encouragement and inspiration today? Try these posts:
Leave a Reply