How do you differentiate between what you actually need and what you want?  When you are working through decisions about changing your career, your home, your partner or maybe your car, it is often easier to start from a place of knowing what you need.  For example, if you have mortgage payments to make each month, your needs will be determined by the amount of income you need to generate to make that payment, put food on your table and clothe yourself.

In the 1950's an American psychologist Abraham Maslow came up with a hierarchy of needs.  This hierarchy is an interesting model that can be mapped to things that motivate our behaviour in the quest for obtaining certain things.  The hierarchy is set out in a pyramid.  At the bottom level of the pyramid is Food and Water followed by Shelter and Safety, Belonging, Esteem from Others, Self Esteem and then Self Actualisation.  We need food and water to survive, we also need shelter and a safe environment and a sense of belonging.  Esteem from others can be called recognition.  Self esteem is about the way we view ourselves and the self actualisation at the top of the pyramid relates to values and meaning.  When I coach my clients, we focus our attention on these last two categories. 

When all of your needs have been met, you are left with wants.  You might want a bigger car, a job that pays more money, a more fulfilling relationship or a new sense of purpose.  Moving to-wards the things that you want and the attainment of those things can only be achieved by taking consistent actions.  Ask yourself "how will this move me closer to where I want to be" and "for what purpose do I want this?".  "What do I really want? " Then decide by when you want to have it and start taking some regular action.  You may find that when your needs are met fully, the things you thought you wanted may not be so important.