Do You Want It? Or Do You Want What it Represents?

A lot of what we say we want, we don’t actually want…

Often times, we want what it symbolically represents in having it.

Relationship  👉🏻 I’m worthy of love

Financial freedom 👉🏻 look, I’m successful

Working hard 👉🏻 validation from others

A good career  👉🏻 people see me as smart

Physically fit 👉🏻 people think I’m attractive

You see?

A lot of what we strive towards is only so that we can get the validation afterwards.

We want a relationship not because we long for companionship and unity, but because we feel insecure when we’re single.

So we get a relationship to coverup that feeling, to sort of say, “see, I AM good enough.”

Or you think back to high school, all those high-achievers that aimed for the top and wanted to get into the most prestigious universities and colleges.

Sure, some did it for themselves. Some did it out of passion.

But a lot of them did it to make their parents proud. A lot of them did it because they felt obliged to.

A lot of them did it because they’re chasing a social status.

One that says “if I have X, I’m good enough.”

And contrarily, “if I DON’T have X, I’m a failure.”

So you can see that a lot of what we strive towards is not coming from a passion in having it, but in running from some degree of lack or insecurity.

We’re using these achievements as crutches.

So the next time you really want something, I want you to ask yourself: why do you want it?

What do you want it for?

Do you want it because you actually want it? Or do you want it because of what it represents in having it?

If it’s the latter, I want you to understand that by living life on those terms, you’re living your life for others… not for you.

And it may shock you when you finally get that thing, and realize that nobody was watching…

Live for you. Do it for you. Not for others.