Comments on: What Do You Want?

By: Kyle Cameron Studstill

Kyle Cameron Studstill — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 06:16:42 +0000

For as much as we use the term, the phrase “want” is patently and deeply flawed. A critical problem that I often point to is that it expresses no reference to a period of time or any orientation to one’s time-perspective – things that are absolutely critical to what we typically try to express with “want.” That’s a simple place to start, and you get to it right away: when asked, we tend to flip-flop. Do you “want” something in the near-term? Or do you “want” something (ostensibly) more valuable in the long-term (presumably at the expense of short-term ‘wants’)??

By: Armen Shirvanian

Armen Shirvanian — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 01:48:39 +0000

Hi Melissa.

This is very true about the initial answer and the follow-up answer that is more realistic. We usually leave that real answer out at first, because it is one that we wouldn’t really want to say publicly.

By: Melissa Gorzelanczyk

Melissa Gorzelanczyk — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 19:22:44 +0000

@ Sarah – Thanks for this comment. I like the sound of your last question. Cheers to all the amazing things ahead.

By: Sarah B.

Sarah B. — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:38:59 +0000

Thank you for that dose of freedom Melissa! The value of knowing what we want, and being able to say want we want escapes so many people, and so many don’t even realize that this freedom is already theirs- they just need to go for it! In doing so, not only are they honoring themselves, they are giving the people around them the greatest gift- the ability to possibly meet a need, join together to achieve a goal, or encouragement to voice their own wants. What could we accomplish together if we all spoke up?

By: Jeffrey Tang

Jeffrey Tang — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:22:34 +0000

Thank YOU for taking the time to write for me! I appreciate it :)

By: Peace and Projects » Blog Archive » What Do You Want?

Peace and Projects » Blog Archive » What Do You Want? — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:37:31 +0000

[...] Happy weekend everyone – take a break and check out my guest post at Jeffrey Tang’s awesome blog: The Art of Great Things. [...]

By: Melissa Gorzelanczyk

Melissa Gorzelanczyk — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:32:16 +0000

P.S. Jeffrey, thank you so much for letting me guest post on your awesome blog. Its an honor.

By: Melissa Gorzelanczyk

Melissa Gorzelanczyk — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:28:03 +0000

@ Thekla – Definitely, failure is scary. But taking the safe route can be really boring and limits potential. Different people want different things, so maybe for some, what they really want is to feel safe. There’s nothing wrong with that, either!

By: Melissa Gorzelanczyk

Melissa Gorzelanczyk — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:25:11 +0000

@ Karo – I definitely agree that it can be hard to articulate wants. The words don’t always shine through the fog of what we “should” want. But looking and being real is so worth it. Thanks for this. Good luck getting exactly what you want.

By: Thekla Richter

Thekla Richter — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:06:43 +0000

It can be scary to admit to yourself what you want… because then you actually have to decide whether to go after it or not, and if you do try for it, then you might fail. Not thinking about it at all can feel a lot less vulnerable than trying and failing.