Ever since I was a little kid, I was always taught the difference between wants and needs.

Wants are the things in life that you would like to have, but they aren't necessarily required to live. These are your smartphones, new cars and Netflix accounts.

Needs are more essential elements in our lives, like food, water and shelter.

It's not a hard concept, but sometimes I get the two mixed up in a really weird way.

For the past three years, I've worked at the same summer job as a lifeguard. I worked with the same people, and I looked up to some of the older college kids at that job like they were the best people ever. They were my role models, and they were part of the supervisory team that overlooked all of the newer and younger guards.

This year, I started to be seen as one of the veteran guards. I knew that I had a standard to uphold as far as my current position went.

I also knew that a lot of the college kids would be graduating this year, and that left their positions on the supervisory team open. I wanted one…along with about 20 fellow guards who started the same year I did.

I've always worked my hardest to be seen as "lead guard" material. I showed up early, picked up shifts and always tried to make a good impression whenever one of my bosses saw me.

Since my first day as a lifeguard, I wanted to be a Lead. It has been one of my biggest goals since my sophomore year of high school, and I thought I'd be a great candidate once I was finally 18. So I put my application in between last season and this season.

You can imagine my disappointment when, not only did I not get the job, but three of my friends from guard class did.

I eventually came to terms with this. I talked to God and realized that, sometimes, things just aren't meant to be.

I knew I should wait until something opened up in the middle of the summer, using my time until then becoming a better lifeguard and employee.

This job has been my entire life for three years now. It's all I've done every summer, and so many of my closest friends have come from that job.

That's why coming to terms with quitting was one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make.

I didn't get the job. Since the beginning of the season about a month and a half ago, more of the college kids have left (and more of my friends have been promoted).

I barely see them anymore, and now I've seen a side of the position that makes it seem not as great as I thought it was.

Along with a new position and hefty pay raise comes responsibility, stress and even more expectations than I could possibly have imagined.

All that on top of balancing and maintaining ANOTHER job during the school year seemed way more daunting a task than I've really ever imagined.

Suddenly, everything in my body was telling me I had to leave. That time in my life was over. I didn't reach my goal, and I know that 16-year-old me would be kicking myself right now for walking away.

That position was all I ever wanted, but I know that it just wasn't where I was supposed to be. And that's OK.

What I need right now is a job that makes me feel comfortable. I need to know that I won't have a ton of stress on top of my already stressful life.

Unfortunately, that job just isn't where I thought it'd be.