As claimed by the renowned coach and speaker Tony Robbins, success and happiness can be found by meeting the 6 human needs that are fundamental to human beings.
These six basic, universal needs make us tick and drive all human behaviour.
Combined, they are the force that makes us do the things we do. We all have the same six needs, but everyone ranks these needs differently and the way you rank these needs is the reason you are the way you are as a person. 😊
A lot of our behaviours are based on which of our needs are -or are not- being met. Depending on which of the human needs are foremost in your personality, you could be spending your time consciously or subconsciously trying to meet one or two of these needs.
If you don’t succeed in meeting your needs this could result in negatively impacting your well-being and you will feel unfulfilled.
The key is to develop greater awareness of the six essential human needs and why we do what we do. We can then be able to consider other ways to meet these needs in a more resourceful way and create harmony within our lives.
Knowing which of these six needs is your primary motivator is crucial to finding out which drives you.
It can also help by giving you a better understanding of your triggers which puts you in better standing to learn how to manage your emotions.
The top four needs in the list below shape our personality. We all find ways to meet these needs, whether it’s working hard to meet them, or creating stories in our minds to rationalize them.
The last two (growth and contribution) shape our spiritual needs, these are rare – not everyone meets these.
When all these needs are met, we then truly feel fulfilled.
So let’s take a look at these six essential human needs:
1. Certainty: Assurance you can avoid pain and gain pleasure
The first human need is certainty. This is one of our top human basic needs as you need to feel secure and safe about the future.
It’s the need for basic comfort, the need to avoid pain and stress, it’s the need to feel in control and to know what’s coming next. Our need for certainty is a survival mechanism.
In order to live a life of certainty, your life would need to stay EXACTLY the same, which we all know is practically impossible. 🤨
So, the closest thing to living a life full of certainty is by artificially controlling your environment by changing your expectations or by avoiding new situations and people. This process provides you with the certainty that you will avoid pain or gain pleasure, which then fills the basic human need for certainty.
Also, this is where your real “risk tolerance” comes from!
2. Uncertainty/ variety: The need for the unknown, change, new stimuli
Do you like surprises? If you answered “yes” or maybe a bit more ecstatic like “yes Heather of course I do, who doesn’t!?” I’m sorry to say this, but you’re kidding yourself. 😬
You like the surprises that you WANT.
The surprises you don’t want = PROBLEMS.
However, when these problems arise you need to be able to deal with them appropriately. It’s important to understand the beauty of uncertainty, those that put this need at the top of their basic needs usually take it to an extreme.
They engage in frequent job or relationship changes for the sake of variety. Some even take unnecessary risks just to get that burst of adrenaline they crave.
If uncertainty is one of your top six needs you will be unafraid of taking risks and enjoy the world of the unknown.
3. Significance: Feeling unique, important or needed
We all want to feel needed, important and special. So how do we get significance.
If significance is among your top six needs then part of that need includes receiving recognition. This may translate into the want to be seen and heard – in short you want to be noticed. You measure significance by what you believe makes you unique. 💁♀️
Whether it’s earning billions of pounds, having over 100 tattoos or having the most problems in your life.
A lot of big brands use the power of significance by my making their consumers feel special.
They know that people will pay for anything that they believe is “the best” or anything that makes them stand out from the crowd.
4. Love/connection: A strong feeling of closeness or union with something or someone
When we love completely we feel alive. When we lose love the pain is so great that we settle for connection, the crumbs of love. 💔
If connection/love is your top human need, you’re constantly seeking out a close relationship with someone or something. This can lead to some amazing fulfilling relationships, but it can also cause you to sacrifice self-care (a big no-no) in order to take care of others. 🙅♀️
You can get that sense of connection/love through intimacy, friendship, walking through nature, or prayer.
( If you’re thinking of your pet then yes, they count too!) 🐕
5. Growth: An expansion of capacity, capability or understanding
If you’re not growing, you’re dying.
If your relationship isn’t growing, if your business isn’t growing, if you’re career isn’t growing, if you’re not growing, it doesn’t matter what you have externally (how many friends you have, how much money you have, how many people love you) you will never experience real fulfillment.
Those whose top need is growth are always striving to be better and learn more. They are usually better at their jobs but tend to move on quicker than others once they’ve reached the full potential of their position.
Though their constant striving for betterment guarantees they will never be bored they’re more likely to be perfectionists and neglect the relaxation needed. 😬
6. Contribution: A sense of service and focus on helping, giving to and supporting others
You may have heard Tony Robbins say this before, “The secret to living is giving”. Those who experience contribution as their top need knows this better than anyone.
If you have a need to contribute you are more likely to make a big difference to your community and the people around you. 👨👩👧
What’s the first thing you do when you get good or exciting news? You call somebody you love to share it with. Sharing enhances everything you experience.
Life is about creating meaning and meaning does not come from what you get it comes from what you give. Essentially, it’s not what you get that will make you happy long term, but rather who you become and what you contribute will.
By better understanding which of the six essential human needs is your driving force, you can set goals for yourself and implement positive behaviours to help you achieve those goals.
These are the 6 human needs that influence your behaviour.
What is your number one human need?
Pin this post for a reminder 📌 👇
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