Desire--The Source of All Suffering

Want. Need. Desire. All these things cause the worst consternation when it comes to parting with our money. Many of us don’t know which call to answer first, or which ones to ignore.

Why do you want it/need it/desire it? Why do you THINK you want it/need it/desire it? Answer these questions, and a lot will be revealed to you in seconds.

Another revealing question to ask yourself: is there something you already own that will do as a substitute?

The best way to answer the call of desire is to do some work before you part with cash. You work so hard for that cash, and it seems ludicrous to just hand it over without much thought or preparation.

1. Identify any possible roadblocks to making progress toward your desire fulfillment (time, money, space, etc.)

2. Set a goal (or goals): identify exactly what you want, why you want it, and how you’re going to get it. This is the “research” part of answering desires.

3. Modify your thinking and your finances to meet the goal(s): after the emotions of pre-acquisition have swept over you, sit down and re-work your budget to save some money toward fulfilling the goal(s).

4. Keep an eye out for ways to fulfill your desires for less than your originally anticipated costs (through sales, freebies and giveaways, buying used, etc.)

5. When the acquisition is finally made, it will be all that much more appreciated. Conversely, you may also have decided that the item in question wasn’t really worth all the work, and have moved on to something else (or nothing else).

Desire is an emotion that allows our brains to carry the rest of us away with it…sometimes irrationally. It’s up to us as individuals to put some rationality back into our lives—particularly our consumption habits.