Re: How do you know what you want?
How do you know what you want? | A Cosmic Echo
In particular the way I would disambiguate this from obfuscation / social expectations / trauma / etc. is to give yourself a situation where you have freedom to do what you want outside of internal/external judgement, where you actually be okay no matter what you do and then notice what you do.
You over-complicate it by turning it into a deep psychoanalysis question.
You learn what you want by paying attention. "Want" or "desire" is a distinct feeling. Sometimes it's driven by the environment (loved one is in need), sometimes it is driven intrinsically (some long-held passion).
What you want is to help your loved one, and you know that because you feel the drive to help them, and because you do help them. You want to create that artwork, and you know it because you feel that drive to create, and because you do create.
So how do you know what you want? By listening to your thoughts and feelings, and seeing what you actually do.
If you wanna dig deeper, ask "What drives me to do [this thing]?" in the moment or right after, when it is fresh, when you can actually sense the thing that is driving you. Don't get lost in your head.
P.S. You might want something and not act on it. I struggle with this because of anxiety and depression and obsession. I think the same basic premise still applies, though.