Wants vs Needs

Wants vs needs. 

When I was a second grade teacher one of my favorite units to teach was economics. In our study we learned about the difference between wants and needs. Of course this had to do with material possessions and how we spent our money. 

Recently I've been giving some thought to how this relates to my actions. I think sometimes it gets easy to become bogged down by everything we need to do. Sometimes we can even gain a sense of purpose or importance in the things we need to do. 

But what I've found to be true is that "need to" can wear you down. The other 
day I was on my way to visit my dad. I had left the house thinking it was 
something I needed to do along with another errand. But what I realized was that in changing my thinking to "want to" it shifted my attitude. 

I really do enjoy getting to spend time with him, but relegating my visit to simply "need to" made it sound more like a chore. Words have meaning, and because of that I want to choose mine more carefully.