Top tips from Maslow

Maslow proposed his hierarchy of needs back in 1943, almost 80 years ago. Despite the passage of time and the fact that (as he noted) there was little scientific basis to his idea, its enduring influence, popularity and relevance is shown by a search in google revealing 2.4m results, a typical example being a BBC article discussing how it ‘continues to have a strong influence on the world of business’.

So what is it?

It is often represented as a pyramid, and can be grouped into three simple categories, which propose that we all have needs relating to existence (at the bottom of the pyramid), relatedness (in the middle) and growth (at the top), and we focus on these needs from the bottom up.

So if we don’t have our existence needs met (food, water, warmth, rest, shelter and security), then those needs are our focus.

If we have those, yet not our relatedness needs (relationships, friends, self-esteem, self-acceptance), then these needs become our focus.

Only once we have those needs met, can we achieve our growth needs - i.e. self-fulfilment, achieving our potential, and being the best that we can be.

How can this help me?

What about this model appeals to you? For me, it helped overcome two obstacles that were getting in the way of achieving my personal and professional goals.

1. A moment of gratitude I loved the idea of a daily practice to remind myself of 1, 3 or 5 things that I’m grateful for, to kickstart and motivate my day, or to calm me down at bedtime with a positive frame of mind. But (despite being a comfortable middle-class person living in the UK) when I sat down to do this, I could not identify anything to be grateful for - my mind started wandering and the exercise felt like hard homework. Using the above diagram sparks off lists of things I feel grateful for, which grounds me and improves my mental well-being and energy.
   

2. Being the best that I can be For as long as I can remember, I have strived to be the best [daughter, student, manager, wife, parent, coach] that I can be - and yet, something has got in the way, and I spent years unable to work out what that was. This model helped me realise that the obstacle is my self-esteem, which is one of the relatedness needs. I have always sought validation, affirmation and praise, and however much I receive, I still don’t feel good about myself. After this lightbulb moment, I have been focusing on accepting that my self-esteem is good enough. This is enabling me to move to the top of the pyramid where I truly enjoy trying to be my best.

How can this model help you move forward?