If we are willing to listen, people will tell us what they need from us.
Their needs are often quite different from their wants.
Wants are much easier to express, but they tend to be superficial manifestations of our needs.
Needs run deep and they are usually buried far beneath the distractions of daily life, the influence of the world around us, and the stories we tell ourselves about who we think we are or want to be.
Our wants tend to be relatively simple, measurable, and achievable, even if they ultimately lead us to fulfillment.
Our needs, on the other hand, are quite a bit more complex and elusive.
And yet, our needs are somewhat constant.
They are with us wherever we go, regardless of our material successes or failures.
But we need to really pay attention in order to discover and understand our needs.
They do not shout as loudly at us as our wants do.
Our needs tend to gnaw and nag at us from deep inside.
By being quiet, patient, and compassionate with ourselves, we can slowly become attuned to what our needs are saying, what they are asking or even begging us for, and, through this process, we realize that our needs are not really much different from the needs of others.
From this place of understanding within ourselves, we open up to the needs of others.
And, while others may only be able or willing to tell us what they want from us, we begin to see the underlying truth of their requests or demands because their truth is ours as well even if it manifests differently.
By relating to ourselves and others from this place of fundamental need, we find that life is actually much simpler and far more rewarding.
HOLISTIC BUDO: As in Life, so too in Budo. As in Budo, so too in Life.