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When our basic needs (food, water, rest, warmth, shelter) are met we can move out of survive mode and into thrive mode. We can shift our attention to our social needs (love and belonging) and our personal needs (esteem, accomplishment and perhaps, ultimately self-actualization). Since many of us are lucky enough to have our basic needs well covered it can be useful to have a compass or road map to guide us towards those "higher" needs that are not as cut and dry. We all require differing levels of social interaction, we all define the ideal intimate relationship differently and our definitions of esteem, accomplishment and reaching our highest potential are what make us all wonderfully unique. If you'll venture back to elementary school grammar class with me (just for a moment!), you may recall the definition of an adverb (basically, a word that describes a quality of an action). If we can get clear on the qualities of action we would most like to embody, we will have a solid road map to guide us towards thriving. For example, if a person wants to spend more time tending to their social needs, they may want to hang on to words like: kind, generous, supportive, or trustworthy. If nurturing ones personal needs is the goal, perhaps words like authentic, active, vulnerable and curious would be more fitting. The language that we choose to use in life has a real power to it, so take some time to put some language around how you, deep in your heart, would ideally like to THRIVE!
