MONDAY MOTIVATION
Saad Gul
Most people don’t understand themselves very well because humans, although very intelligent, are extremely complex creatures, and often ignorant of some basics surrounding their lives. Even though everyone is born with potential, few are actually aware of it and thus able to channel it to greatness.
This ability is called self awareness , that Aristotle had put it, is actually the beginning of all wisdom. Self awareness – an attractive idea he was trying to sell thousands of years ago – is a gateway into building a life of prosperity.
Research has shown that self-awareness is directly related to both emotional intelligence and success. It’s a skill – that can be developed with consistent practice – that makes us more cognizant of our inherent strengths, weaknesses, and latent motivators while setting goals.
Tony Robbins, the American author – public speaker, life coach, and philanthropist – believes that absence of awareness of six basic human needs holds many people back from optimising emotions, health, relationships, wealth, business, psychology and overall prosperity.
Most choices and decisions we make are based on which of our needs are or aren’t being met. Generally, Tony believes, we are trying to have one or two of these needs met constantly – consciously or subconsciously. Failing to understand or having these needs fulfilled can be catastrophic and negatively affect our well being.
Robbins, based on his forty years of research and experience, postulates that “everyone ranks these basic human needs differently, and the way they are ranked are why you are the way you are as a person.”
The top four needs – certainty, uncertainty (variety), significance and connection (love) shape our personality. Whereas the bottom two – growth and contribution – shape our spiritual needs.
The tools or means by which people choose to meet these six human needs are quite diverse. Let’s dive a little deeper into these forces that drive and shape all of our emotions, choices and ultimately quality of life.
People who rank certainty as their top human need want to feel safe and secure about the future. When people in this tier receive positive recognition, they usually want to be sure that this is authentic and that it will continue in the future. They also tend to be less open to new environments, situations and people but constantly push towards self improvement and delivering better results.
Those who experience uncertainty as one of the top two needs are more open to new experiences, environments and people. ‘They may engage in frequent job or relationship changes for the sake of variety, or take unnecessary risks to achieve the adrenaline jolt they crave’ according to Robbins.
Individuals who rank significance as one of top two needs also want to receive recognition. They actively want to be noticed, seen and listened to. It is a form of validation that brings with it a sense of importance or feeling special. This is a double-edged sword because if the means of deriving significance are not carefully curated, they can easily turn into negative influences – people may end up turning toward excessive alcohol consumption or frequently indulge in energy draining arguments.
For those who have love as one of top basic human needs, close and intimate relationships with someone or something are vital. This can also have both positive and negative influences. For the former, it can lead to deep fulfilling relationships and the latter may even compromise as a mechanism to preserve a partnership.
Those whose foremost need is growth are always striving to be better and learn more. They are competent but tend to move on as soon as they feel they are falling back into the comfort zone. As soon as they feel they’ve reached their full potential, they push for growth to avoid boredom. Perfectionism often holds these people back. They also tend to neglect recovery and rest, which is essential to manage stress.
Last but not the least, people who rank contribution as one of their top human needs always have something to offer to others. They know that their authentic voice, opinion or work matters. Giving makes them feel alive. It makes them feel connected to something larger than themselves.
Self-awareness is, to sum it up, about understanding your own needs, desires, inadequacies, habits and blind-spots that make you the unique individual that you are. The more introspective you are, the better you are at adapting to changing circumstances and environments – specially if you find yourself at rock bottom. You feel empowered to double down on your strengths as well as identify areas where you would like to make improvements.
