Your motivation rules your destiny. What is your motivation made of? It is made of your desires, your needs. So, in order to rule your own destiny you should rule your motivation.

Abraham Maslow has defined his motivation pyramid in 1943 in his study “A Theory of Human Motivation”. Since then, this is the most famous motivation chart ever in the history. Everyone uses it and gives it as an example.

Now it is time for me to write about this famous pyramid. You have to know where are you at the moment on this pyramid in order to know where is your start point. From this point you will develop and master your motivation skills and this way you are going to put your life in your own hands.

The Maslow’s pyramid has 5 main levels, floors.

The most basic one represents your Physiological needs and desires. Here is breathing, food, water, sex, sleep, etc. You are here you are fighting to survive on daily basis. This is when you – for example - don’t have money or job or both.

When your basic physiological needs are met, it is time to manage your security. Now you want to secure your body, your future, your job, your health or family. You are here if you are OK with survival, but don’t feel secure for your future in some aspect of your life, especially in financial area.

The third level describes your needs of love, intimacy and belonging. If you have secured your life financially and in other areas, but you need more love, friendship, communication you are on the third level of the pyramid.

When all your physiological, security and belonging needs are met, you start to want more and more. You want to see the results of your labor, you want to achieve something significant in your life, you need respect and acknowledgement. You are on this step if you have everything, but want to be somebody in someone’s eyes.

You are living on the top floor of the Maslow’s pyramid if you feel the need of self-actualization. You pay attention to morality, creativity, spontaneity…

Of course – at given moment – you have needs from more than one level of the pyramid. But when you look deeper in your needs and desires, you can see what type of needs prevail over the others. These needs mark you current motivation level.

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How can you use this knowledge, the knowledge about where you are in the pyramid? You can use it to choose the best motivation method for yourself. This way you will boost your motivation productivity and this will increase dramatically your results.