I’m very interested in the things that motivate me, and the people around me, to make the decisions and do the things we do.

My favorite theory that explains the things that drive human behavior, is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. I like Maslow‘s theory, because it is simple, logical and easy to understand.

Maslow’s theory says that all human beings are driven by a collection of needs and that these needs build on each other. People who don’t have their basic needs met (like food, water and a place to sleep), are less concerned with their more complex needs (like having friends and feeling respected).

Maslow came up with a clever way of grouping these needs into different layers, that make up a triangle. The bottom layer of the triangle contains the the most basic human needs and each layer higher up in the triangle contains more and more complex needs.

In which layer are you living?

Have a look at Maslow’s triangle and try to see which layer contains the needs that you are concerned with most, during your day-to-day life.

I think it’s safe to say that most people who will get to read this article, are not living in the bottom two layers (physiological and security) of Maslow’s triangle. Since you are reading this article using the Internet, you are probably not too worried about where your next meal or pay-cheque is coming from.

Most people who are employed and who live in a reasonably developed country, like South Africa, are mainly driven by the needs in the 3rd and 4th layers (love/belonging and esteem) of Maslow’s triangle.

Because they have their basic physiological and security needs met, their main needs are things like being part of a group of friends, having a relationship with a significant other and being part of a family.

Most people who have these needs met also strive for a little more, like being successful at their careers and being respected by others. These esteem needs also seem to be especially important to men.

You know, the “male ego”?

It is an important part of manhood, for a man to conquer his fears and meet his esteem needs.

Happiness and Maslow’s Triangle

Another thing that I (and I’m sure most people who are alive) am very interested in, is happiness.

The way to be happy, is to meet your needs. It’s as simple as that.

However, there is a catch. In much the same way as there are different layers of needs, there are also different layers of happiness.

Every time you meet your simple needs, like eating, you experience a simple and short-lived feeling of satisfaction. These are the most basic forms of happiness.

When you meet more complex needs, higher up in Maslow’s triangle, you experience more and more significant levels of happiness, e.g. a sense of belonging, a sense of achievement, or a sense of being respected.

The highest level of happiness is obtained by meeting your most complex needs – the ones right at the top of Maslow’s triangle.

These needs are things like: the need to make a difference, the need to help others and the need to live a meaningful life.

Freedom and Maslow’s Triangle

The greatest people who have ever lived, our heroes, are people who were able to look past their basic needs and instead allow themselves to be driven by their more complex needs.

Here are a few examples.

• A child, who looks past his need for instant gratification and instead allows himself to be driven by his need for friendship, by choosing to share his candy with another child.
• A man, who looks past his need for comfort and recognition and instead allows himself to be driven by the need to help others, by choosing to give up his career and instead become a volunteer with an aid organization, that distributes food to people in need.
• David, who looks past his need for safety and instead chooses to be driven by his need to serve his God and nation, by challenging and killing the fierce and giant war-hero Goliath.
• A Jew, dying of starvation in a concentration camp during the 2nd world war, who looks past his need for food and instead allows himself to be driven by the need to love, by offering his only piece of bread to a friend.

I demand that you love each other as much as I love you. And here is how to measure it – the greatest love is shown when a person lays downs his life for his friends.Jesus of Nazareth (John 15:12-13)

Looking past your most basic and immediate needs is the key to living a life that is marked by freedom. By choosing to look past your simple needs, you are no longer bound by them and you are free to aspire to greater things.

The secret of happiness is freedom. The secret of freedom is courage.Thucydides

I pray that you will have the courage to look beyond your simple needs. I pray that you will have the courage to be free.

I pray that you will choose to be a hero.

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Courage, Freedom, fulfillment, Happiness, hero, Maslow's Triangle, motivation, needs, pursuit of happiness