Wanting Everything

In Wants and needs from Seth Godin's Blog by Seth Godin shares,

“You’re unlikely to get everything you want. That’s a good thing, because wants are part of what define us.”

Sometimes when we want something bad enough, we work harder to achieve it. My parents always felt that if I didn’t work hard for something, I wouldn’t appreciate it as much.

I saw this when I went to college and some of my classmates were given anything they wanted by their parents. One of them wrecked his new sports car and his parents got him a new one. He cut classes and spent a lot of time partying but not much time studying. By the end of the first year, he left with poor grades and terrible work habits.

Since I had to work hard and pay my own way as an out of state student at a private college, I was careful in making sure that every dollar was well spent. I didn’t cut any classes and I studied hard because I didn’t want to have to pay to retake the class. I worked towards a goal because I wanted to be a teacher. When I achieved my goal of teaching, I appreciated my hard work and I could feel proud of how much I achieved in order to get here.

I inherited my sister’s old car after she passed away. I took care of it because it was up to me to pay for care and maintenance for it. No one else was responsible for that. This means I had to take extra care of this car if I wanted to be able to use it. No one was there to give me a new car if this one quit working.

I know that my parents always warned me to “Be careful. You might get what you wish for.” What if I got what I wished for and then I realize that it really wasn’t what I wanted? Or I might get it and not know what to do with it?

I think it is important to teach our students that it is okay to want things and have goals. But we don’t get everything we want. This may be because we don’t have the money at the time or the skills to achieve that goal yet. Over time, our goals may change, and our wants may change.

My students need to learn that they won’t always get what they want but they can work towards that goal. Maybe with patience, they can get what they want and by then their wants will be changed. They may have new wants after they get what they were working towards. It is having these wants that move them forward and keep them from being stagnant. These wants will help them work towards success in their lives.

What want are you working towards getting? Please share. 

Photo by Mike Arney on Unsplash