How We Shut Down What We Want

By Leo Babauta

One thing I’ve learned about myself in the last year or so is how much I shut down what I want.

Somehow the world taught me that what I want is not acceptable, that I should only want what seems reasonable, doable, or won’t inconvenience others.

So I rarely even acknowledge that I want something. I shut it down.

Here are just some of the reasons I tell myself I don’t want something:

Do any of these sound familiar to you? Wanting something has become laden with judgment, fear, guilt, and self-doubt. And so we shut it down.

What if we could have whatever we wanted?

What could you own that you want, regardless of whether you could actually have it?

What would you do if you decided you were going to make it happen?

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