What if the secret to happiness isn't in what you need, but in what you want? Today, we dive deep into the difference between needing and wanting, and how this distinction can make all the difference in your journey to freedom and happiness.

Having the essentials for survival keeps you alive, but it doesn't necessarily make you happy. True happiness comes from pursuing what you genuinely desire. Tune in to learn how to shift your mindset from one of scarcity and need to one of abundance and want, and watch your life transform.

Here are some power takeaways from today’s conversation:

• The difference between needing and wanting

• How to set powerful goals that actually manifest

• Embracing abundance and ditching scarcity thinking

• The four freedoms that lead to ultimate happiness

[01:18] The Difference Between Needing and Wanting

Needing operates from a scarcity mindset, where resources are limited and people compete for what's available. It's about survival and maintaining the status quo. Wanting, on the other hand, comes from an abundance mindset. It's about growth, creativity, and expanding beyond basic needs. Wanters focus on creating new opportunities and resources, leading to greater freedom and happiness.

[07:34] How to Set Powerful Goals That Actually Manifest

Write down goals for 7 life categories: health, business, friendships, relationships, family, spirituality, and lifestyle. Spend two minutes per category listing what you want. Circle the top goal in each category that would make the entire area feel successful. Write these 7 goals daily, programming them into your subconscious. This practice activates your reticular activating system, helping you notice opportunities to achieve your goals and potentially bending reality to manifest them.

[14:13] Abundance Mindset: Creating Without Limits

Shift from a competitive, scarcity-based mindset to an abundance mentality. Recognize that in the world of wanting, resources are not limited - they can be created. Stop justifying your desires or competing for perceived scarce resources. Instead, focus on creating and innovating without limits. This mindset shift frees up energy previously spent on competition and justification, allowing for greater creativity, growth, and happiness. Embrace the idea that you can create as much abundance as you want without taking from others.

[28:15] The Four Freedoms That Lead to Ultimate Happiness

1. Freedom of Time: Arrange your time as you wish in work and personal life.

2. Freedom of Money: No upper limit on earning, saving, and investing.

3. Freedom of Relationship: Choose who you interact with daily.

4. Freedom of Purpose: Focus on your own goals and vision.

These freedoms expand and multiply each other, creating a universe of integrated freedom that propels forward progress for those who choose wanting over needing.

Resources Mentioned:

Wanting What You Want by Dan Sullivan

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Ever wonder why making lasting changes is so difficult? You're not alone. Change can be challenging, but it doesn't have to be. Enter Paul Levitin, the expert behind "Change Made Easy," who has helped thousands transform their health, wealth, and relationships.

In this compelling episode, Paul unveils his groundbreaking EASIER framework, designed to make sustainable change truly achievable. Forget about the pressure of perfect goals; Paul explains why they often lead to failure and how embracing imperfect progress can set you on the path to success. Join Matt and Paul today to see how change can be easy and rewarding.

Here are some power takeaways from today’s conversation:

• Making consistent habits and lifestyle changes for improved health and well-being

• Why change is hard and how to make it easier

• The EASIER framework for making long-term changes

• Internal motivations for wealth, relationships, and personal growth

• Enthusiasm and process for achieving goals

• Embracing imperfection in relationships and daily routines

[03:42] Why Change Has to Be Hard

Paul thinks change inherently has to be hard because that's why you need to change in the first place. Things that are easy don't require making habits or goals around them. The things we want to change but have trouble doing, like exercising or healthy eating, are difficult because there is "friction between where we are and doing the thing." Specifically, doing the thing consistently is challenging because that's what produces results, not a one-time action.

[12:17] Why Willpower Only Works for Short-Term Goals

Willpower is only effective for short-term goals as it is a finite resource that will run out. Lifestyle changes require consistency over long periods like months or years. Relying solely on willpower is not sustainable for this duration. Making changes easier through enjoyable habits provides a better strategy for maintaining them long-term compared to using willpower alone.

[22:15] The EASIER Framework for Long-Term Success

E - Enthusiasm. Paul emphasizes that true motivation comes from enjoying the daily habits and actions required to achieve a goal, not just the end result. Being enthusiastic about the process is key for long-term consistency.

A - Available. Goals must fit practically within a person's current time constraints, energy levels, financial means and other resources.

S - Straightforward. Complex goals that are difficult to explain or understand take more mental energy and are less likely to stick. Plans work best when they are simple to implement without unnecessary complexity.

I - Imperfect. Embracing mistakes and setbacks as a natural part of progress helps keep people motivated. Seeing imperfections as opportunities for growth prevents people from being too hard on themselves when inevitable slip-ups occur.

E - Exponential. For habits to be maintained indefinitely, their benefits need to compound over time and provide returns well beyond just a one-to-one input-output relationship. Small actions should lead to exponential long-term rewards.

R - Repeatable. Forming strong habits through consistency is key to long-lasting change. Goals must be designed so the same behaviors can be repeated over weeks, months and years to become an ingrained part of daily life.

Resources Mentioned:

Change Made Easy podcast

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Or, reach out on our contact page at https://mattoneill.com/contact and we will email you a copy of any free resource you request.

About the Guest

Paul Levitin is the host of the popular podcast "Change Made Easy" and an expert on creating sustainable habits and lifestyle changes for improved health, wealth and relationships.

Discover simple ways to strengthen communication in your closest relationships. In this episode, Matt O'Neill sits down with veteran marriage counselor Chip Judd to discuss the keys to building a strong, lasting relationship through effective communication.

Chip shares insights from over 40 years of counseling couples on managing expectations, understanding different love languages, and taking responsibility for your own happiness within the relationship.

Here are some power takeaways from today’s conversation:

• The hula hoop analogy

• Taking responsibility for your responses

• The power of embracing each other’s differences

• Anticipating your spouse’s needs

[04:44] The Hula Hoop Analogy

Chip says that a hula hoop identifies where one person ends and another begins. Chip emphasizes that everything inside your hoop is your responsibility, and that we cannot make others feel or be responsible for things within their own hoop - only they and God can work on meeting their own needs and emotions. This analogy helps illustrate healthy boundaries and expectations in relationships.

[12:04] Mastering Your Response-Ability

Chip breaks down the word responsibility itself, noting that it contains the idea of "response-ability" - our ability to choose our response. Chip emphasizes that one of the most important responsibilities we have is mastering our ability to choose how we respond, even when faced with challenges from life or our partner. If we give up taking responsibility for our reactions and blame others, then the relationship will struggle from that point onward.

[18:09] How Adjusting Expectations Strengthens Your Close Bonds

Frustration in relationships stems from the gap between our expectations and experience. He explains that there are two ways to close this gap and lower frustration - by changing the experience, or by lowering expectations. Lowering expectations is the one thing we have control over, since we can't force others to behave how we want. Boundaries help with this by reminding us that no person can truly meet our deepest needs - only God can be the source.

[22:19] The Power of Embracing Each Other’s Differences

Chip believes our differences in marriage push us to deeply understand our partners. He says God made us varied so relationships require learning each other - like anticipating needs beyond our own. Embracing diversity helps marriages thrive by growing closer through care of one another's unique qualities.

Resources Mentioned:

www.chipjudd.com

The Endurance Factor

The Endurance Factor Podcast

The 5 Love Languages

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About the Guest

Chip Judd is a veteran marriage counselor with over 40 years of experience. As a pastor and counselor based in Southern California, he has helped thousands of couples through counseling, seminars, and his bestselling co-authored book The Endurance Factor.