Your Personal Needs and Values
When considering potential avenues for change, it is important to identify the needs and values that form the core of who you are—or who you want to be
One common question during the self-development process is how we can determine which thoughts we should prioritize to improve our personal wellbeing. To get more clarity, it is important to first identify the needs and values of who you are—or who you want to be.
The Hierarchy of Needs, although used in business, is also very useful for personal life. The pyramid shares a visual representation of harmony and fulfillment. The psychologist Abraham Maslow came up with the Pyramid model to express that people are motivated by five levels of needs:
- Physiological needs
- Safety and security needs
- Love and belonging needs
- Esteem and prestige needs
- Self-actualization needs
What is really important in our lives is what should drive actions; the rest is secondary. Those priorities must be tied to our scale of values and vision of the future. The Hierarchy of Needs is a useful tool for clearly defining how to satisfy each of our personal needs and how those needs are aligned with future goals. This theory is not intended to create perfect organizations. Neither is it intended to create a perfect life. It is just a tool to help us to organize our thoughts and establish real priorities.
The different elements of the pyramid can be filled with diverse items depending on our individual values and priorities. It is composed of a bunch of very personal decisions. For example, housing needs. We all have housing or shelter needs. Some people fill those needs by living with their parents; others rent city apartments, and some own a house in the suburbs. All address the same physiological need but in a different way. Analyzing the pyramid helps to identify how we want to fulfill each of these boxes in our lives.
Keeping a balance between the different aspects is very important. Some people tend to focus more on only one or two needs, or on material needs over spiritual needs and vice versa. The focus on only one need, or a group of needs creates an imbalance in life. That is why it’s important to keep all the quadrants in perspective and pay attention to all of them. Also, it’s important to be aware that it is not a tool for perfection, but rather a way to create balance and harmony that will lead to a richer emotional life. Each of the needs are not always going to be 100 percent fulfilled to be ready to move to the next phase. And even when you get to the next phase you are not done. The pyramid requires constant revision as part of the framework for continuous improvement and a growth mindset.
The personal hierarchy of needs provides the structure to align personal values and needs with actions. Each need can be fulfilled with a lot of different things. The scale of values helps to clearly define how to fill each of the quadrants based on our core values, and not with whatever is out there. By taking the time to identify our core values, decision-making becomes clearer and more objective. Values are like the foundation of a house, providing the base for choices, actions, and behaviors. It helps us to make our own decisions and not make personal choices based on external influences like social media or what other people do. Core values are much more than a bunch of pretty words. They identify what is important, and the challenge is how you express those values in your daily life, in both the small things and your personal choices. For example, one core value could be your personal wellness, which combines many factors between mind, body, and personal environment.
Living by your core values is not as easy as saying it. It requires focus and emotional intelligence to act based on your convictions. This doesn’t mean you need to be selfish or live in a bubble; it’s just that living your life on your terms is going to draw criticism and judgment.
Example of Core Values
There is a strong interrelationship between the exercise of identifying core values and the hierarchy of needs. The combination of needs and values consists of the pyramid—intended to identify your needs—and the core values, which help to answer how you are going to fulfill your needs based on your best interests. Having a strong view of your core values and integrating them with the pyramid provides more clarity and objectivity to make small and big decisions. Using this approach also helps manage conflicts by reminding us of what is important and helping us to avoid the drama. When you are clear about your priorities, you don’t get distracted by small things, and that helps you move forward.
There are a lot of distractions in life that can add so much useless noise to your mind and soul. Defining your hierarchy of needs and your core values is a way to organize your thoughts, prioritize, to take out what’s not adding value, and to keep the things that really have value.
Core Elements to Drive Actions
With a clear understanding of our values, we can feel more confident in our decisions. By aligning our actions with what truly matters to us, we can simplify our life equation and prepare ourselves for the next level.
Take the time to reflect on what is truly important to you and let that guide your choices.