Maria the Muse

First time I heard that I thought, “What do you mean I don’t want what I think I want…I know exactly what I want!”

But then I thought about it more and realized that it’s true.

Humans are emotional beings.  All of our desires have underlying emotions attached to them, and it’s those emotions that tell us what we really want.

An example:

You want ice cream.  But if you think about it, what do you really want?  Is it 2 dips of rocky road? Well yeah.  But what triggers that desire?

The trigger, or real desire under the surface, is “how it makes you feel.”

For some the idea of ice cream conjures up happy memories of getting ice cream at the corner whippy-dip on a hot summer day.   Others may remember a special date or afternoon with friends.  And for others ice cream is a comfort food, the one thing that was there with them when nothing else seemed to be going right. But the common thread in all these cases is that “ice cream makes you feel good.”

And that feeling, or emotional component of what you want is way more powerful than the physical desire alone.

So the next time you think you want something, take a minute or two to reflect on your underlying emotional true desire.

And enjoy that ice cream!