As relevant today as when Abraham Maslow published A Theory of Human Motivation in 1943, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is the psychology industry standard for measuring motivation.
\Today, let’s work our way up to find out where we fall on his hierarchy chart. At each level I will describe the level of motivation and you decide if this is where you land.
Maslow’s hierarchy levels 1&2
The first two levels of his chart pretty much includes all of humanity. We call these levels “Basic Needs.” On this level, our natural inclination is to survive. These needs represent physiological and safety needs.
When people are not motivated to fill these needs, we label them with a psychotic or disabled name tag. Basically, people that don’t meet the first two levels of motivation cannot sustain life on their own. Whether is it is from depression or a genetic disorder, these people would not survive without others assisting them.
If supplying your most basic needs of comfort and security are motivation enough, then move on to the next level. You’ve got the first two covered.
Belonging, love, and esteem
The third and fourth level of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs can also be lumped together as your psychological needs. The majority of our species resides in these two levels for the majority of their every day decisions.
Level 3, belonging and love needs, refers to the desire to have friends, family, and acceptance. Level 3 is completely responsible for the success of social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Our desire of acceptance by our friends and family keeps those platforms active with up to date accomplishments and rants about our own points of view.
The second level of this section, level 4: esteem needs, is related to level 3 in that we want to feel loved and accepted. However, with level 4, the motivation is purely by our own opinion of ourselves. Some would call this pride or self-satisfaction. If you are engaging in an activity for the sole purpose of pleasing your own aspirations and not to please others, then you have reached level 4.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs level 4: esteem needs, is where creative types live once they push back on the desire to be approved by the public opinion. This is where our inspirational stories come from. They come from a person living in or above this level of motivation.
Do you live to please others or do you push past the opinion of others and follow your dreams? Are you ready for the final level of motivation?
Self actualization will blow your mind
Do you read self-improvement books regularly?
Does past work or projects haunt you because you know you could’ve done better?
Do you feed your inner creativity daily?
If you answered no to any of these questions, then it is highly likely you are living in level 4. However, if your answers are yes to these questions then you are likely motivated by self actualization. Bottom line, living on this level means your motivation does not come from pride, others, or simply trying to survive. Living in level 5 means you wake up with an angst to become a better person, not just for you, but for your community.
Have you ever wondered why artists paint or writers write? The answer is quite simple. Creative people create out of an innate desire to satisfy a creative thirst that they wake up with every morning. Guess what? You have that same angst living inside of you. The closer you get to level 5, the louder that voice screams.
Level 5 dwellers understand a simple principle. Our lives are not about the end game of our eternity, but about winning the daily battles that fight our self-improvement and the improvement of others. Basically, if self actualization motivates us, we care about our impact on society and not just to survive until the end.
Still not sure what level you are on? Check out this quick 5 minute quiz from Mind Mastery to see where you land.
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