Why do we want what we want?

We make hundreds of decisions every day. But how often do we pause and ask: Why do I actually want this?

I followed the standard roadmap — study hard, get a good job, earn respect. Then the paycheck arrived, and I made a list of things that would make me happy: clothes, a car, travel, investments. Simple enough.

But that list kept growing. I somehow started convincing myself that I need it or I deserve it, and bought them.

The Moment That Changed My Thinking

I once scrolled past an app ad on Instagram without a second thought. The next evening, when hunger and laziness hit, my mind pulled that ad up from nowhere. I ordered food from that App. Did that app solve a real problem, or did it spot my laziness and build a business around it?

Think bigger: a celebrity wears an outfit, and suddenly it’s the season’s must-have. Food trends, travel spots, relationship expectations — all quietly shaped by what we scroll through daily. The most skilled marketers in the world are paid very well to make “good-to-have” feel like “must-have.”

Are these Marketing teams trying to leverage our weaknesses and make it to consumerism, which ends up us in never thinking of real happines. Branded watch, a latest model phone, a trendy  wearable attractive. I am not saying these are utter waste and mere Marketing. I am saying that these really not required

When I revisited my list with this awareness, some items still made sense. Others, I couldn’t justify at all. The list got shorter — and I felt lighter.

The Part That Actually Matters

May be all that we need is much simpler and deeper. What we need is

1. Love towards every single thing
2. People to share the life journey
3. Nature to stay in its lap and cherish
4. Food to nourish body
5. Movement to maintain body
6. Passion and desire to do & accomplish things we love
7. Ability to serve others

No.1 Consumerism –

will really think through the smallest purchase to the biggest to ensure I make consicious choices on where my hard earned money is going on to. I will not comprimise for an experience but will definitely not fall for a trendy fashion and the societal expectations.

I will spend quite sometime on this questioning it with the Why’s and Whats. I am starting to really understand what makes me happy and joyful.