Hierarchy of needs.

I need relevant pics for my blog.

Therefore, on spotting an interesting action happening in my parking slot, I immediately wanted to make use of the opportunity at hand.

However, to be able to capture the moment, I had to quickly zoom and click.

Thankfully, my 16-year-old was besides, who didn't let me struggle with the feature and then immediately, while sitting in the car itself, we had our output.

The kitten has grown, certainly!

A few days ago, I came across a tweet by a nutritionist, trained at AIIMS, New Delhi and practicing in Europe. 

In the tweet the health practitioner said that many of their patients, who had left their jobs to raise their kids, eventually felt frustrated in life.

This was a truly interesting observation because, years ago, I also did something similar.

And even though this was not the only reason for me quitting my formal employment, yet it was indeed one of the key considerations. 

Nevertheless, not for a moment, I have ever felt frustrated for that decision.

And this feeling is not merely because, the DNA newspaper, here in Mumbai, on one of the father's day, a few years ago, did an interview of me, on this adventure.

Instead, this is my genuine feeling and this is the truth, however, the other truth may also be that my wife may not have a similar feeling regarding the same matter.

Or say, my parents may not feel the same way, as I chose to handle the situation. 

Therefore, why this difference or gap in feelings come between two individuals while moving through the same situation?

Why many parents who may have to discontinue their respective careers, now much later, might be feeling frustrated of their situation, while I have no regrets at all of leaving my job to care for my daughter?

To generalize this subject further across all segments of life, why some people feel frustrated about certain actions or situations while others are able to build something new or unique out of a similar challenge?

Basically, this is to do with the needs and wants that we possess within.

To be able to make sense of this complex subject in detail, we shall take support of a famous theory of psychology, which is incidentally taught in all MBA programs of the world as well as in courses of economics also.

This is the theory of hierarchy of needs. It was published by an American psychologist named Abraham Harold Maslow in 1943 and later revised in 1954, 1962 and 1987 as well.

Popularly known as Maslow's Heirarchy of Needs, this theory states that all human needs can be staggered across 5 levels.

Towards the lower side of the pyramid are the basic needs or what Maslow termed as the deficiency needs, while at the top sits the growth need or what was called the "being" need.

Maslow explained that while every individual would WANT to move up the pyramid, that is, to move from basic needs towards the higher order needs, however, failures in-between shall influence their journey as well as motivation.

In 1954, Maslow clarified that this climb wasn't sequential. That means, it was not similar to as if moving from class 1 to class 5 in a school.

Instead, the actual movement across these levels may be haphazard based on various experiences and situations of life.

At any given point in time, an individual may be driven by multiple needs.

Whatever needs are relevant for an individual, at that point in time, they keep turning into their wants and desires. This is how the life unfolds.

Finally, Maslow was deeply interested in the subject of maximizing human potential and achieving human fulfillment. 

Therefore, on that count, he concluded very clearly that while most people would stay occupied throughout their life in trying to fulfill their more practical needs, at the same time, some would aspire to seek fulfillment in life by maximizing their human potential.

He also recognized that in doing so, many times, such individuals may willingly forego many of their lower order needs, because their motivation may be inspired by either certain long-term or larger or deeper goals. 

Therefore, very clearly, everything boils down to one simple fact:

What is inspiring you in your life?
What is the source of your motivation?

If this source of motivation or inspiration is originating from a lower order need then you shall always remain trapped in the feeling of deficiency in life.

However, if the source of motivation or inspiration is originating from a higher oder ideal, then you would see irreversible growth coming your way, eventually, even when you may have to struggle considerably through the journey.

As says so beautifully one of my students: "motivation enables destiny."

Thankfully, this motivation can be refined, redefined and reinstated by anybody at anytime for any opportunity.

Yes, it may demand learning some new skills or adopting a different behavior, yet for a truly willing individual there can be no permanent obstacle.

I can very firmly state that from my own experience.

Message: Don't live a life filled with frustration. Give yourself a chance to refine your motivation.

NOTE: Maslow's model was later revised to accommodate 3 more growth needs and hence making it a 8-tier model. 

These new additions were simply detailing of the term "self-actualization", which was now explained through various stages of psychological and spiritual evolution, with achieving "transcendence" being termed as the highest goal of human existence.