Ever since starting this series on Needs vs Wants, I've become more and more aware of how my words affect my thought process.
"Mike, can you be home from work early today? I wanted to get together with friends today and I need to leave by 6:00 pm, " I ask my husband.
"Lee, I need that paper; can you bring it for me?"
"Neighbor dearest, do you have some soy sauce? I need it for the stir fry that I'm making for dinner."
"Man oh man, I just need a vacation!"
We use the word "need" so frequently throughout our lives, but most of the time these things are not needs, just wants.
Yea, I would like to leave by 6:00 pm with my friends, and it would be more convenient, but that is a want, not a need.
That paper, most likely, would make my life easier, but isn't a need. (Of course, in certain scenarios, that might be a very important paper that I truly do need.)
Soy sauce? Definitely a want, not a need. Even if the recipe calls for it, there are always substitutions. It may taste a little differently than intended, but no specific food items are needs.
Vacation? A luxury; not a need under any circumstance. (Ok, perhaps some, but we're talking the average person here.)
Words really become reality. When we use the word "need" instead of want, we are sending ourselves the message that whatever it is that we desire is truly necessary to live our lives. I think that this is a symptom of the "me generation", the era in which we live in which people feel that they are entitled to everything their heart desires, and not only are they entitled, but they'd "die without it".
By watching what we say, and only using the word "need" when we really, truly need something, we'll be adjusting our priorities, appreciating what we have, and end up saving money when we realize that those things previously thought of as needs are really luxuries, and can be cut out.
Do you find yourself using the word "need" a lot? Do you find yourself generally misusing the word, as I have been?