by David Villa

Created on: May 16, 2008

Everyone is searching for the perfect system that will put them on the path towards weight loss, earning more money, balancing a busy life and countless others. That is why we are inundated with infomercials about the latest gadget that will cure whatever it is that ails you. That is also why there are large sections in libraries and bookstores dedicated to this endless pursuit. That is why there is a Starbucks on almost every corner. There is, however, a simple answer for striking a balance in life that comes from the most unlikely place, Kindergarten. It is a lesson my child brought home to me one day after school; Need vs. Want.

The next time you feel yourself on the verge of being overwhelmed with what life has thrown your way, ask yourself if this is something you need to do, or is it something you want to do. In order to survive in this world, there really are only a handful of things we need to do. You need food, you need shelter and you need some form of clothing. Unless you are independently wealthy, in order to procure the food, shelter, and clothes, you need to have a job. Most likely you will also need some mode of transportation to get to that job. Beyond that, it all comes down to choices.

You may want your child to play baseball, soccer, take dance lessons, learn to play an instrument and belong to the Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts, but these things are not a necessity, especially at the same time. I guarantee the child does not want to participate in all these activities during the same time of year. So instead of trying to balance this insanely hectic schedule, which of course you chose to create, try limiting the extra-curricular activities to one, maybe two at a time.

Do you really need to watch all that television? The average American spends over 4 hours per day watching TV. Yes, lots of people love to watch American Idol, or whatever show takes them away from the reality of their busy life. However, couldn't that hour or the average four hours be used more wisely? Even if you cut that in half, that's two hours you could be using to devise different ways to be more efficient in life.

In the big picture of life, most people want to succeed. They want to climb the corporate ladder, they want to write the great American novel, they want to do better than their parents did. Again, the operative word there is want, not need. You need a job, but you don't need to work 10-12 hours a day which leaves you scrambling around to get to that other thing, the family. The reason you work that hard is to be able to afford the things that are most likely causing you to feel that your life is much too busy in the first place.

It may seem to be a very simplistic approach, want vs. need, but many of life's answers are simple. If you're hungry you eat, if you're tired you sleep, if you're cold you put on a jacket. We have to start trying to figure out how to eliminate the wants and start focusing on the needs.

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