by J Mock

Created on: July 14, 2008   Last Updated: August 02, 2008

Life will always set obstacles that will ultimately be beyond our reach, but the principle lure of achieving this objective develops the strive to better oneself.

In questioning why we do not always get what we want, we have to explore the plausibility of actually attaining the desired. How realistic is the target we are aiming for, and do we really possess the need?

Can you be positive that this is what you desire, or moreover, is it partly because it is something that everyone else has, and you feel that you need, or deserve, this too?

In order to survive we require the basics, namely food, water and shelter. Technically anything else that complements our lifestyles can be deemed a 'luxury,' regardless of our individual opinions. However, the majority of individuals will now add a substantial list as to what is required in order to 'survive.'

Many people feel unable to cope without the modern conveniences such as televisions, mobile phones, computers, cars and washing machines. This is the modern view, even though mankind has survived without these products for hundreds of years previously. It is necessary to distinguish the need from the desired..

An example of a false belief is for a person who only derives a low income from their employment to want a large ten-bedroomed mansion. Although this could one day be achievable, the chances are somewhat limited. Is it not better to set yourself a smaller aim, such as a step up the property ladder, and then if you manage to achieve this, set another target for the future? A smaller target, but with a higher percentage of actually gaining the objective, thus a decrease in the chance of feeling a failure.

Of course there are always those people that actually 'deserve' to attain certain fundamentals, but never appear to prove successful. It is at these times that we do feel a degree of sympathy towards the affected individual.

Compare this to when we hear of the 'wish lists' of the those who already appear to possess more than can be deemed necessary and justified. Is this a case of plain 'greed?' If a person is able to easily afford and to attain the extra benefits, it can appear to affect their priorities in life. Material gains are seen as the 'be all and end all.'

Is it not more important to take a pleasure in what we do have before we focus our attentions on the 'wants' in our lives? Life will not always deliver us what we want. If we simply expect too much we will only be in for disappointment.

Until we learn to accept that there will always be those who are better off than us, and that there are those who are invariably worse, we will never learn the art of being content. The noted saying 'we never appreciate what we have until we lose it' is a true statement, but we should not have to suffer this before we learn of its meaning.

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