Material world

I think that my worst issue with chess at this point is that I am too materialistic. I am always looking for a way to take their material without losing my own when I should be looking for a way to win the game. I think that every time I have won a game it was by whittling down my opponent until I was strong enough to corner their king without being stopped. With more playing I have been getting much better about seeing when my opponent will be trying to snipe my king but I can't seem to successfully set up to do it myself. I figure that I need to practice more and concentrate on that type of thing while I am playing.