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Jaxon steps off a chartered jet onto the tarmac at Teterboro Airport, just outside New York City. The crisp evening air carries a hint of pleasant autumn, in contrast to the cold and rainy London he had left behind.
He was the only passenger onboard, aside from the ever-attentive crew, who had ensured his every need was met during the transatlantic flight—warm towels, gourmet meals, and a selection of vintage wines perfectly paired with each course.
A Bentley awaits him at the edge of the runway, its polished chrome reflecting city lights in the distance.
Jaxon sinks into the plush leather seats as the driver holds the door open. The hum of the engine barely registers as exhaustion from the long journey overtook him.
His eyelids grew heavy, and before he knew it, he was dozing off en route to The Mark – New York’s most boldly lavish hotel.
Jaxon isn’t in New York for just any event. His childhood best friend, now the CEO of a prestigious global bank, is getting married.
The wedding itinerary includes a week-long spectacle of opulence, drawing an elite mix of who’s who from the worlds of business, art, sports and politics.The grand finale? A private yacht sailing to Miami, where the vows would be exchanged under a setting sun, champagne flutes in hand.
It hadn’t been easy for Jaxon to be here. He was in the middle of a sold-out world tour, with a highly anticipated performance scheduled in Mumbai.
But when his best friend had personally asked him to be there for the biggest day of his life, Jaxon made the call—cancelling the concert, knowing the backlash it might spark.
Some things, after all, matter more than fame.
Meanwhile, in Mumbai…
In the heart of Bandra, Ira wakes up with a smile as her mother has left tea cattle by her bed. She turned 21 last summer, fresh out of college, and has landed a coveted job at a top-tier advertising network—a breakthrough opportunity in a field she has always dreamed of.
Her morning routine is simple yet cherished. Since her office is only a few kilometers away, she often skips breakfast at home, opting instead for a stop at The Caspian, a beloved Irani café tucked away in a quiet lane.
The place holds sentimental value; she had been coming here with her parents since childhood, and now, as an independent young professional, she feels a quiet sense of pride in continuing the ritual on her own.
The café is abuzz with its usual crowd—writers lost in their notebooks, entrepreneurs engaged in hushed conversations, and elderly men sipping on piping-hot tea. Ira orders her favourite Bun Maska and Irani chai, savouring the brief morning solitude before heading into the last working day before the weekend.
As the evening approaches, she impatiently checks the time, waiting to hit “send” on her last email. Her friends are already texting, urging her to hurry up—they have tickets to an exclusive concert tonight.
Originally, it was Jaxon and his band slated to perform, a rare event in India. But with his sudden cancellation, the organisers had scrambled to find a replacement.
The buzz is still high, though, and Ira is eager for a night of music and energy to shake off the week’s exhaustion.
A world away, in Dubai…
Under the glaring sun of Dubai’s desert landscape, Suresh wipes the sweat off his brow. The towering steel skeleton of a future luxury township rises behind him, the latest addition to the city’s ever-evolving skyline.
After several years of working at a small-scale construction firm in his hometown Indore, Suresh has left for UAE, taking up a 3 year contract as a construction supervisor.
It hasn’t been easy—long hours, gruelling conditions, and the constant ache of homesickness. But the rewards are undeniable as he is earning 10X more than what he makes back home.
Every Dirham he earns is carefully set aside to maintain his simple lifestyle, and most of it gets saved with the singular dream of one day buying a home—not just for himself, but for his ageing parents, who have sacrificed everything for him.
His parents were the first in the family to leave their remote village and settle in the city of Indore as daily wage workers so Suresh could receive formal education and complete graduation from college.
Three lives, three journeys
A global music sensation, a young woman carving out her career, and a migrant worker chasing stability—three individuals, worlds apart, yet each driven by their personal ambitions, sacrifices, and dreams.
Our Needs, Wants, and Desires are Different
In today’s deeply interconnected world where we appear to be part of a shared global culture, the story of Jaxon, Ira, and Suresh reminds us of the diversity of human lives and experiences which shape us as individuals.
Our necessities differ, we make unique life choices and pursue distinct goals; likewise, our needs, wants, and desires can vary greatly from person to person.
Let’s try to understand from a generalised example below.
Jaxon
Ira
Suresh
Needs, Wants, and Desires Keep Expanding…
To understand our needs, wants, and desires, we can broadly segment them into physiological (food, shelter, clothes) and psychological (love, esteem, recognition).
Needs can be considered the primary and most basic tier – e.g. our need to eat food to remain healthy and alive.
Wants form the secondary tier – we would want to have our favourite meal at a preferred restaurant every now and then.
Desires are the tertiary tier and perhaps the most complex of all – we might fancy eating at a Michelin-star restaurant set in an exotic venue and taking a selfie with the Master Chef to post onto our Instagram account.
While needs and wants arguably have specific boundaries, there are no limits to desire anything.
It is, therefore, really important to be conscious in desiring something; it has to be logical and/or purposeful.
Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos have a desire to make human life multi-planetary and transform space travel to be as easy as a flight from Singapore to Bangkok.
Musk via SpaceX and Bezos via Blue Origin working tirelessly to envision this dream, which is both logical as well as purposeful.
It’s this generation’s job to build a road to space, so that future generations can unleash their creativity. Jeff Bezos
I can desire to buy a Ferrari—it has to be at least logical, i.e., do I have enough balance OR cash flow in my account that this transaction will hardly make any difference?
As we progress into our lives and move to the next ladder, we may unconsciously move from taking care of our needs, wants, and desires in a somewhat hierarchical sequence.
If we are not being logical and/or purposeful, we will end up adding another layer of complexity into our lives—one layer after another.
Our progress in life could then become an unconscious endeavour of fulfilling our needs, then wants, and ultimately desires—only to find ourselves trapped in the vicious web of dissatisfaction and misery.
Simplifying the Framework: Our Essential Needs
I wanted to simplify this question of needs, wants and desires – to create a single-frame to help me understand and focus on what exactly I need to maintain a quality and happy life.
As a mid-career professional, I can effectively take care of my needs and wants, and noticed myself graduating toward desires.
I’m not immune to distractions and often find myself swept away by them. Take my passion for cars, for example—I love driving and going on road trips with family and friends.
The moment I see my favourite car passing by, my mind may instantly trigger a series of thoughts: Wow, what a beautiful car! Can I buy this? Should I buy this?…
Even if I’ve a very efficient car that was once my favourite, the mind is wired to constantly seek the next best thing.
So to set clear boundaries, I wondered – could there be a simple way to reflect my essential needs, wants, and desires?
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As a solution, I came up with the following—The Essential Needs—a minimalistic framework of our most fundamental requirements that are sufficient to lead a quality and happy life.
Understanding Essential Needs
In a previous article, I explained that we are an organisation – body and consciousness are two departments. Click to read further.
So let’s look at the Essential Needs from this organisational perspective.
The body and consciousness are two basic components of our existence—the former being tangible and the latter intangible.
The body is a vehicle that carries our entire organs and systems; consciousness is our advanced ability to think, rationalise and imagine.
Both body and consciousness departments are constituted differently, serve different roles within our organisation and likewise have different needs as well.
What are they?
1) Essential Needs of Body
Oxygen, Water, Food, Shelter, Clothes, Health
Yes, as simple as above. We only have these fundamental necessities to remain healthy and fit.
Oxygen to breathe.
Water to keep us hydrated.
Food to nourish our body.
Shelter for rest and protection.
Clothes for comfort and dignity.
Health to ensure our entire system functions at its best.
2) Essential Needs of Consciousness
Knowledge – about ourselves and the world
Consciousness needs understanding and awareness—about our inner and outer world —so it can flourish and help us to thrive.
And to cultivate that understanding and awareness, we must seek knowledge.
Knowledge about ourselves—who we are, what shapes us from within, our purpose, vision, values…
Knowledge about the world—what makes this world and how it functions e.g. science, history, business, politics…
What About Other Needs, Wants, and Desires?
You may argue there are several other needs too, as well as wants and desires which are not specified in this framework, e.g. love, recognition, self-esteem, self-actualisation…
Yes, there are. But to caveat, the Essential Needs framework covers the most fundamental yet important requirements of our body and consciousness.
As soon as we start thinking beyond the essentials, the list gets long and greatly varies per individual.
Jaxon for example, would need to hire a cook to help him with daily meals so he can focus on his music while Suresh would prefer to cook food himself so he can save money.
You only have Essential Needs; everything else is a Want or Desire.
To cut to the chase and keep it simple –
If you have things greater than your essential needs, consider them as grace.
If you don’t, consider them as a want OR desire.
Benefits of Practicing The Essential Needs Framework
1) Clarity
Focusing on the essential needs brings clarity into perspective.
You minimise unnecessary clutter surrounding you physically and mentally, which creates space for clarity.
2) Productivity
You are now spending less time on distractions than before – this frees your bandwidth to focus on things that truly matter in your personal and professional life.
Also, a distraction-free mind can sustain deep focus, enabling the production of high-quality outputs.
3) Purpose
You’ll notice yourself excelling at your routine tasks and gradually a need will emerge to seek your higher purpose.
By letting go of unnecessary possessions and commitments, you make space for what aligns with your values and this helps you seek a higher purpose – to make a difference in your as well as others’ lives.
4) Freedom
Focusing on a limited number of needs means you have to own less and this gives you financial, emotional and physical freedom.
You’re not tied down by excessive possessions, debt, or societal pressures, allowing you to live life on your own terms.
5) Happiness
You’ll appreciate how blessed you are in several walks of life.
You’ll understand that true joy comes from investing in experiences, relationships, and self-growth—not material possessions.
You start living a clear, productive and purposeful life full of freedom which will fill your days with joy, contentment and happiness.
Thank you for reading. I trust that focusing on the 7 Essential Needs discussed above will help you cultivate the mindset needed to embark upon a transformational journey toward your greater self.
If you know someone who might be interested, or could benefit from reading this, feel free to share the article with them.
The views expressed in the above article are my personal views.
References:
Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Classics in the History of Psychology. https://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Maslow/motivation.htm
Blue Origin. (n.d.). About Blue. Blue Origin. https://www.blueorigin.com/about-blue
