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Exposed: Abraham Maslow’s Theory of Motivation

Abraham Maslow’s Theory of Motivation

Maslow knew all about passion…….

Abraham Maslow's theory of motivation

Abraham Maslow :: Mr Personality

Abraham Maslow is the personality man.  He’s a humanistic psychologist who has influenced many fields including education.  Abraham Maslow’s theory of motivation is key to our passions.

I want to share his views with you because what he teaches about our natural and basic need to blossom to our full potential really explains our relationship with our personal passions and purpose in life.

Humanists don’t believe we can be effectively pushed and pulled but that we achieve when we act from our potential.  Maslow’s theory of motivation shows us that he believed that we operate from an innate curiosity, ensuring that we reach for high-level of capabilities, striving for creativity, our highest consciousness and a wiseness to become a ‘fully functioning person’ a ‘healthy personality’ or as Maslow calls this; the ‘self-actualizing person’.

Maslow understood our need to connect with our core in order to nurture our passions to enable us to realise our full potential.  I’d like to share his thoughts with you, and ask you to consider where your own personal growth compares with his model, then how you can take control to move onward and upward.

Maslow identified and encompassed our primary needs in a 5 level hierarchical structure.  Our primary needs are instinctive, equivalent of those in other creatures.  Each level over rides the next before greater levels of need become apparent.  At our highest levels we realise needs for understanding, esthetic appreciation and spirituality – the comprehensive understanding of self.

In the correct environment we will grow straight and beautiful, realising the potential we’ve inherited.  I believe the vast majority of people hover around levels 3 or 4 with aspirations to the next level but very often do not take the action required to achieve them.

Maslow’s primary requirements are as follows:

1)  Physiological need:

These are biological requirements i.e. oxygen, nutrients, water, and a comparatively constant body heat.  These are our most fundamental needs – if we didn’t have these nothing else would matter to us.

Maslows Hierarchy Of Needs

Maslows Hierarchy Of Needs :: Illustrated as a pyramid with the most basic needs at it’s base.

2)  Safety:

When the first level is satisfied and no longer impact our views and behaviors, the demands for security may become active.  This is about living in an orderly predictable world where inconsistencies and the unfamiliar are rare.

3)  Love and belonging:

When safety and physiologic welfare are fulfilled Maslow says that we seek to achieve a feeling of belonging or feeling accepted.  This involves both giving and receiving love, affection and the sense of belonging in any emotionally based relationship.

4)  Esteem:

Next up, our need for regard may become dominant. Both self-regard and from other people.  We have a need to be accepted and valued by others or we experience anxiety.

Our need for self-respect translates to the need for mastery, competence, , self-confidence, independence and freedom which are based on inner competence won through our experience.  When these needs are disappointed, the individual feels substandard, powerless, helpless and un-needed.

5)  Self-actualisation:

When all of the above is satisfied then and only then are the needs for self-actualization triggered.  Maslow identifies self-actualization as our motivation to be and do that which we were ‘born to do’.  To realise our full potential.

A musician must do music, an artist must paint.  These needs make themselves felt in signs of impatience or frustration. We feel on edge, lacking something, in short – uneasy.

If we are missing one of the other levels of the hierarchy it’s really quite easy to identify the problem.  It isn’t always clear what’s missing when there’s a need for self-actualization.

Maslow suggests the only reason you won’t achieve self- actualization is because pressures applied by society.  He says that our educational methods contribute to these handicaps and that facilities should react to and nurture the potential a person has for growing into a self-actualizing individual.

Educators should be teaching us to achieve ‘self actualisation’

I’m passionate about educating our children in response to their potential no matter where that may come from.  That their fully realising identity and esteem is paramount to living as a fully functioning person.  My children attend a Montissori nursery which is very much in tune with that philosophy.

Maslow suggested education should be teaching:

  1. To be authentic, to be fully aware of our inner selves by tuning in to inner-feelings.
  2. To exceed our cultural conditioning and become world citizens.
  3. To assist us in discovering our life’s calling.
  4. That life is cherished, and there’s joy to be received, and that if we are open to seeing the good and the joy in all kinds of places, it makes life worth living.
  5. That our uniqueness is a gift and we should learn our intimate nature.  From true knowledge of aptitudes and limitations we may know what to build on, an subsequently what potential exists.
  6. We must see that the individual basic needs of safety, belonging, and esteem are fulfilled to free the path for personal growth.
  7. That we grow our consciousness to value beauty and other uplifting things in nature and in living.
  8. That controls are good, and utter abandon is counter productive. We need personal control to better the quality of life in all areas.
  9. To attain the emotional intelligence to deal with troubles such as unfairness, of pain, suffering, and dying.
  10. To be good selectors.  We should be given practice in making beneficial choices.

It may be a controversial statement to make but I don’t believe our educational system currently nurtures the individuals innate potential.  If anything it seeks to quash creativity in favour of enabling academic study.  I recall my school reports commenting on my ability if ‘I could just apply as much energy to my subjects as I did to my personal interests’.  I can see the same happening with my nieces today.  Something should be done about this.  I haven’t yet found a school for my children that incorporates Montessori philosophy and I’m nervous about that.

So that’s my quick delve into Maslow.   I might be blinkered by my mission but I think he’s suggesting that people operating as a fully functioning person with a healthy personality are those who have identified and are living their passions and their purpose in life.

What do you think?  I’d love to hear your thoughts on Maslow and how his hierarchy fits into modern day life.  Please comment and/or share this post with anyone you think might find value in it.  Thanks.

Here’s to finding and living your passion.

Saz Bailey

Personal Transformation to Online Entrepreneurship

Online Entrepreneurship sung to me.

I think it was probably around about 6 years ago now, my mother turned up at my house looking quite excited that she had found a book that was to be the answer, the beginning of my transformation to online entrepreneurship.

The One Minute Millionaire by Mark Victor Hansen‘The One Minute Millionaire:  The story that transforms your life and makes you rich’ by Victor Hansen.

Hmmm, I recall reading the title and looking at her like she had lost her marbles.  But she knew me, as mothers do, better than I knew myself.

My mother saw me struggling to motivate myself through the tiresome, mind numbing days of a corporate life I was no longer committed to.  She could see a creative soul that was drowning in the noise of everyday life.  It’s true I was on a downward spiral.  It was spreading, the boredom, the quite desperation,  across my whole life like an infection.  Yes I had a wonderful life.  I had (have) a wonderful husband, he’s gorgeous, he’s committed and he’s fun.  I had the great job with the great salary and car.  I had a fantastic home that I’d enjoyed renovating and furnishing myself, a beautiful double fronted 18th century house in country village setting with an interior that I’d included everything that made me feel good.  I had the social life, the holidays, the gym time.  My life was a huge success wasn’t it?

Then why, sitting relaxing watching TV in the evening did I feel uncomfortable, like I was wasting time?  Weekend, well most mornings actually were spent under the duvet (don’t be rude) with a hang over!  Working for my then employer seemed to be cheating me of my potential despite the fact that they are one of the most innovative and people focused companies in the country.  I didn’t understand then – I think I knew it, but I didn’t understand – that I’m an entrepreneur.  It’s something that’s in your DNA and wont go away.  It makes you twitch with an energy that you just have to use or it’ll drive you insane.

My mother, bless her, could see a yearning inside of me to BE different, DO better and HAVE more.

So I read the book.  Then I felt ashamed.  I had no excuses.

Let me explain;  imagine you had put on a few pounds that you really needed to loose and were struggling to do anything about it.  You’d thought about running but had all the excuses why you couldn’t – you get out of breath too easily, your knees ache afterwards, can’t fit it into your daily schedule etc. etc. etc. Then you meet the people who ran a marathon despite recovering from cancer, running on prosthetic limbs, being confined to a running track because of agoraphobia.  Your excuses become embarrassing.

Excuses don’t stack up, especially to those people who have taken action.  I’ll say to you what my mother said to me: ‘It’s time to wake up to your potential and just do what you would love to do.’

Online Entrepreneurship Enables You to Easily Live Your Passions.

This one book proved to be a tipping point for me to take action.  You too will probably find your tipping point.  When you realise there’s just no other road you can travel.  If you are an entrepreneur in your core your time will come when you open your mind to possibility and to your own personal capability.

You’ll find your business ideas.  Ideas are out there, everywhere.  People who take initiative aren’t.  If you have great skill and passion in something it’s your duty to share it to give positivity back to the world.  The more successful, positive, abundant acting offline or online entrepreneurs there are out there the better our world will be.

If you’re not sure of your ability to do something in your business then learn it, invest in your own personal development, fill those knowledge gaps and create a team of people to plug the skills.  Being an entrepreneur is about taking action around your creativity.  You don’t need to be the best at anything to make something happen.  You do need to create a mindset that supports your journey.  Read, network, learn, create an environment that matches and attracts the world you want to live in and the life you want to experience.

You need two things to be successful in creating success and your own wealth: a burning desire and a willingness to act.  Online entrepreneurship can expedite that.  If you make a commitment to your future that’s based on your burning desire then the law of consistency will ensure that you follow through.   Again, it’s in your DNA, you can’t help but want to stand by your decision.

As in the book, I liken entrepreneurs to a honey bee who’s primary objective is to obtain nectar to make honey.  Whilst in the process of collecting nectar it’s involved in a much bigger purpose.  The cross pollination it creates from it’s work has a far more important outcome than the honey it makes.  It results in a beautiful, bountiful garden.  This is about creating wealth where everyone wins through the value brought to every purposeful connection.

I hope this short post helps at least one person to make a commitment to change and take inspired action towards offline or online entrepreneurship.

Please let me know if that happens.

Saz Bailey

Leadership: Are you inside out?…….


Core Values Word CloudLeaders inspire their followers

….and it’s so easy to do.  Followers follow because of connection with their Leaders cause, followers believe in the same thing so it’s automatic.

We don’t buy the ‘what’ but the ‘why ‘ – that’s about a personal connection.

If you can translate this to your business the commitment both ways is aligned to your core message and people will evangelise for you, for themselves, because it’s what they want too.

Even the ‘Big Boys’ owe success to a profound connection to core beliefs.

Listen to this video to hear how this translates to any business or project.


Saz Bailey

Can we learn to lead?

Leadership

The debate continues….

If  you’re considering starting your own business with a background of working for other people you might be wondering if you’ve got what it takes to take the lead and be the pivotal character.  In committing to your business people are buying into you and your vision, and your ability to deliver what you say you will through the resources at your disposal.

People have debated over and over whether leadership is a trait you must be born with.  Research shows that you can’t explain leadership by for example genetics; intelligence, family line or education, ethnicity, gender.  You will find massive variance in all of those sorts of areas from one leader to the next.

It’s all down to mind set.

Absolutely anyone can be an effective leader if they are passionate about what they do.  When you are aligned with what it is that motivates you leadership is the outcome of being passionately committed to achieving the outcome you desire.  Ordinary people with a compelling dream will step up with extraordinary commitment to make their dream a reality.

You have to find and connect deeply with your passion, your purpose, your dream, your desire, your destiny.

A leader has the ability to adapt (in what could be life changing circumstances) and to recognise their passion.  They have the natural ability to engage other people in a shared vision, this is because it comes from their core values, they have complete conviction in what they are doing.  Leaders have an unwavering sense of integrity, to do the right thing and have the courage of these convictions in delivering their mission.  It doesn’t matter what or how many set backs they come up against, they are motivated and totally single minded about achieving their vision.

Anyone on this planet can make that connection with their core influence.

What you need is the mechanism to find out what your core influence is.  You need to find out what your values are, what makes you tick.  Then you can use your unique abilities and skills to lead a business that is totally aligned to you.  You can do this by asking yourself a whole heap of questions as part of a coaching programme.  Any good coach can help you achieve this but it’s quite a financial investment or you can try a book or DVD tutoring.

I undertook a 56 day home study course that addressed a lot of different areas of my life and led to a life changing decision.  I’m now connected with my passion and live in gratitude of what I have and where I’m going every day.  I now have a mission to help creative people realise and connect with their own personal and unique passion and empower them to reach their audience through Online marketing.

It’s entrepreneurs like this with positive creativity that shape the world we live in.  The power is in our hands to do much good.

I wouldn’t consider myself a leader. I don’t know that I have evolved my leadership skills.  What I do know is that I’m hoping to lead as many as I can into an exciting future that they don’t yet realise.

Please share your thoughts with me below.  I genuinely love to hear from you.  If someone you know might be inspired by this post then please share it with them through the links below or Tweet via above.  Thanks so much.

To your infinite potential and unstoppable success.

Saz Bailey