Abraham Maslow was wise beyond his time.
He created a simple hierarchy that categorizes the needs of every human being. The hierarchy indicates that the highest level of achievement is self-actualization. But it also reminds us of the necessity of maintaining our most vital physical needs.
On a most basic level, we are required to satisfy our needs for food, water, and air. It is only when these basic needs are met that we can turn our thoughts to higher needs, such as love and acceptance.
As each of these needs is fulfilled, some of us reach a point of restlessness. It is at this point that we begin to seek higher goals of personal fulfillment. We attempt to grow beyond what we currently are and we strive to fulfill our highest potential. This is what Maslow termed self-actualization.
It is self-actualization that many of us seek. Achieving this state of fulfillment, however, involves more than having success in the workplace or the admiration of others. It is a goal that each of us can achieve through different methods and with drastically different results. Click here to continue »
Is work slowly suffocating you? To-do lists, projects and random chores all piling up until they surround you? When this happens, your best strategy is to get ahead. Get on top of all your work and go beyond completing today’s tasks, complete more than you need to so you can have room to breathe.
Alzheimer’s and Dementia are two of the cruelest diseases known and the ones that frighten me the most. I can’t imagine what it’s like to slowly slip into a fog and not remember where you are, who you are or be told the lady in the room you don’t recognize is actually your wife of 50 years.
“Don’t settle”. These are the words from Steve Jobs’ Stanford Commencement Speech that echo in my mind long after first having watched the video.