The I Wants

When I was in high school and would tell my parents, "I want this and this and this..." they'd tell me I have a case of the I Wants. The I Wants went away for a few years, but it's a sneaky little thing that pops up when you compare yourself to others and what others have.

I'm sad to say that I have the case of the I Wants right now.

I want...

new work clothes.
my student loans to disappear.
a house with a big yard.
a king sized bed.
to be able to go out to eat however many times a month I want.
a fancy, fast car.
nice furniture.
a long vacation exploring a country.
a living room big enough for a real Christmas tree.
to be able to buy myself jewelry or clothes whenever I see something I like.

It's easy to get caught in the comparison game. 

My coworkers go out to eat every lunch, and I'm here eating leftovers. I'm staying at my parents' house with their nice furniture and huge bed, and I want it. My friends talk about buying themselves clothes and going shopping. Kevin's mom is on a super long vacation in Europe.  I hear people who don't have student loans talking about their lifestyles, and I'm here paying almost a full paycheck each month to my student debt. I drive by houses with For Sale signs, and I wish that I could even have a small chance of buying it.

The comparison game and having the I Wants is dangerous. If you let yourself get wrapped around what everyone else has and what you're missing, you forget to focus on what you do have.

I have...

Supporting family & friends.
A reliable job.
A degree from a great University.
A reliable and new-ish car that gets me where I need to go.
Enough money to buy groceries, gas, and necessary items each month.
Fun money to go out to eat a few times a month.
A wonderful boyfriend.
A place I can call home that has water, electricity, air conditioning.
Two beautiful puppies who keep me entertained.
All the electronics I need, plus some (TV, computer, laptop, iPad, iPhone, camera)

Even though there are a lot of things I want, I have a lot more things that I'm grateful for. I know some people who have the nice cars, but they don't have a supporting family. I know others who go shopping and buy everything they want, yet they have thousands of dollars of debt.

I know, compared to most people in the world, I am lucky. A lot of people don't even have a place that they can call home.