W is for When

I remember, when I was a child, my mother would dish up food or pour milk and say, "Say when." Say when, meaning, "tell me when it's enough for you."

We don't implement that option as adults. We don't get to say "when!" when it's enough for us. We just keep filling our figurative plates, while looking around the table to see what else we can get our hands on.

I think that part of the problem is that we've completely confused want and need. We want all sorts of things. Sure, why not? It's natural to want things. But where we go wrong is that we don't recognize the difference between what we want and what we actually need.

What we actually need is pretty basic. We need shelter and just enough food to fuel us. That's it. Everything else is a privilege. Everything else is based on what we want.

There isn't a thing wrong with wanting, nor is there anything wrong with attaining what we want. However, when we lose sight of the fact that we have it pretty damned good, that our needs are already met, it's time to say "When!" It's time to push back from the buffet and take action.