You Don’t Have to Want That Anymore
I rediscovered a line recently that hasn’t left my head. It's from James Clear, author of Atomic Habits:
“It doesn’t make sense to continue wanting something if you’re not willing to do what it takes to get it.
If you don’t want to live the lifestyle, then release yourself from the desire. To crave the result but not the process, is to guarantee disappointment.”
And the more I’ve sat with it — both in my own life and in conversations with clients — the more I’ve realized how often this tension shows up.
Never loudly.
Quietly.
It sounds like:
“I want to build real wealth…
but I don’t want to track my spending.”
“I want more flexibility…
but I don’t want to change how I work.”
“I want to get out of debt…
but I don’t want to feel restricted.”
“I want things to be different…
but I don’t want to live differently.”
And to be clear — there’s nothing wrong with that.
That’s not failure.
That’s information.
Because underneath all of those statements is something more honest:
You don’t just want the outcome.
You want a way of living that feels good to you.
And sometimes… the version of life required to achieve a certain goal just doesn’t match that.
This is where most people get stuck.
They keep the goal.
They resist the process.
And they live in this constant state of low-grade frustration — feeling like they should be further along, but never quite getting there.
There’s a cleaner way to handle it.
Two options, really:
You can commit to the process.
Or…
You can release the desire.
Releasing the desire doesn’t mean you’re giving up forever.
It doesn’t mean you’re incapable.
It just means:
“In this season of my life… this isn’t the priority.”
And that kind of clarity is incredibly freeing.
Because once you stop chasing something that doesn’t align with how you actually want to live…
You get your energy back.
You get your attention back.
You get to fully invest in the things that do fit.
And here’s the interesting part:
Sometimes, later on — in a different season — that same goal comes back.
But this time, you’re ready for it.
Because your life has changed.
Your priorities have shifted.
And the process no longer feels like a burden — it feels like a natural extension of how you’re already living.
So if there’s something you’ve been telling yourself you “should” want…
Take a step back and ask:
Do I actually want the life required to achieve this?
And if the answer is no?
You’re allowed to let it go.
At least for now.
Always in your corner,
— Andrew
Talk with Andrew directly
If you want help applying these ideas to your own finances or business, we can talk it through.
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