Wanting What We Can't Have.

"As a rule, man's a fool. When it's hot, he wants it cool. When it's cool, he wants it hot, always wanting what is not." –Nat King Cole

Our lives are characterized by the ability to get what we want, and the inability to want what we have. It is characterized by discontentment.

So what gives? Why are we never happy with what we have? I think it has to do specifically with our generation. Gen Y, as we're known to marketers, is all about instant gratification. We not only want what we don't have, but we want it NOW.

I undoubtedly fit this stereotype. I keep wanting what I don't have. But usually, if I work hard enough, I will get what I want. I can still remember when the iPod arrived on the market - everyone was talking about it and I started noticing that one by one, my friends started getting their own personal iPod. I was jealous. Here I was, with my ordinary, bulky CD player that I had to shamefully carry around with me. I dealt with it for weeks..months..until finally I said enough was enough. I asked for the iPod that Christmas and told my parents I didn't care if I get anything else, as long as I got the iPod. Lucky me, I got the iPod plus more. I was thrilled. But as I got accustomed to the device, it lost its desirability and sleekness. It was just a routine part of my life to listen the iPod. It had lost its glamour.

I think this logic can also be applied to individuals and relationships. Let's be honest - we all love the chase. The whole playing hard to get thing. I'm not sure if it's the thrill or if it just goes along with wanting what we can't have. So what if the chase becomes a catch? Do you lose interest? Or what about if you're chasing someone you can't have? That sure flips the table around. Is it because the person is unattainable that it makes them so attractive? Why do I keep constantly seeing guys chase after girls with boyfriends and girls chase after guys with girlfriends? It has to be about that instant gratification. We want it, we crave it - but the fact we can't reach it makes us want it that much more. It doesn't really make any sense to me when I really think about it, but when I apply the idea to material items and relationships, it clicks.

So what? What does this all mean? It's not like this is a ground-breaking theory; there is plenty of research and history behind it. But personally, I think this is all saying we are greedy. We're never fully happy. We keep wanting, whether it be more money, more popularity, more material things, more passion, more living in our lives. We want what we can't have but we don't want what we have. Everything we have gets pushed away into the back of our minds. You have the ability to get what you want. You probably have everything you need to be completely satisfied. Do you also have the ability to want what you've got?

I guess what I'm saying is okay, we're never going to fully stop wanting. But all I know is that I need to realize what I do have and be thankful for it all. We can be greedy, but we also need to be grateful.