Maslow's Hierarchy: What We Need To Not Just Survive, But Thrive.

As we discussed in a prior article, Rat Park was an important study performed in the 70's, that seems to suggest that our external environment is just as important as our own mental attitude and behaviors, when it came to determining our mental state and experience in the world.

To take it a step further, Maslow's Hierarchy posits that our ability to self-actualize, or become the person we want to be, is mostly determined by a variety of tangible factors; some that are immediately within ones control, and others which are not.

Theorized by Abraham Maslow in his 1943 paper titled "The Theory of Human Motivation", Maslow's Hierarchy is a "classification system intended to reflect universal needs of society at its base, then proceeding to more acquired emotions".

This hierarchy is split into two different categories, known as deficiency needs and growth needs. One dealing with individualism and the other with the prioritization of needs, this classification system is also an assessment tool in a variety of educational, healthcare and social work sectors.

While we always recommend reading the wikipedia article for the full breakdown of some of these theories MYA shares, the main reason we wanted to turn our readers on to this theory is to get us thinking about how our environment, and some things we may not even consider as part of our environment, affect our mood and behaviors, and determine who we wind up being (or not being).

From simple things like Physiological needs (air, water, food, heat, clothes, shelter) and safety needs (health, personal security, emotional security, financial security), to more complex social needs, such as love and belonging (family, friendship, intimacy, trust), once we begin to analyze the different things that affect our body and minds ability to maintain homeostasis and not be in a fight-or-flight state, is actually very complex and involved.

One could observe that since many of the needs that we've discussed so far have been commodified (nearly everything costs money from the moment you're born), and that unless you arrive into this world with ample resources, your experience from day one is going to be considerably harder than an individual who can afford these costs and then some.

And we haven't even begun to discuss the higher level, individualistic-type needs that some argue we must have to achieve self actualization: becoming who we want to be while functioning within and ascending above the current society one is born into.

When 60% of the society lives paycheck to paycheck until they die, you could also argue that 60% society never gets to actualize who they want to be, much less transcend it.

Instead, they're forced into a situation where they must "accept the things as they are", even when they know in their heart of hearts that everything is possible, it all just comes at a cost.

Either way, the point of this article isn't to be depressing, but allow you to begin taking stock of the things in your life you either do or don't have, and determining how to get what you need in order to become who you want to be.

Figuring out how you can get sustainable, cover your basic CoL, and make space for higher-level thinking and moving the needle on your personal dreams and ambitions, is a great start.

Notice that I didn't suggest you reduce your Quality of Life, become a minimalist or ascetic.

While this works for some, the reality is most of us are born into a hyper-materialistic world, and withdrawing from these luxuries and necessities is a difficult ask.

Instead, figuring out a life that allows you to enjoy the nice things you either own or partake of, while working to make your recurring expenses for living (or otherwise) manageable, is advisable.

Never one to focus on scarcity, I recommend focusing on bringing in abundance through sustainable and noble means: So you aren't ever forced to decide between a meal or your monthly streaming service.

Ironically, it is this "going under" of truly getting a grasp on your cost of living, that makes the space and opens the door for larger opportunity and abundance.

Good luck out there!