Understanding Human Needs and Creating ways to meet them

I'm all about change. I live my life to create, to discover, to build, to help, to contribute, to learn, to love, to connect, to share and to experience. Today I want to talk to you about an experimental approach to meeting some of the needs you have as a human being. I am not a psychologist, but you don't need to have a piece of paper that says you're qualified to be knowledgeable, and effective in helping other human beings to make profound changes. A psychologist will tell you differently. 

We all have some basic core component fundamental human needs. We have the need to feel important, to be noticed. We have to need to contribute in some way. We have the need for variety in our lives and many more. Today I want to discuss an experimental approach to meeting some of your needs in a new way. Here is what I've been doing. I've been breaking down all of my behaviors and writing them down on a piece of paper. Literally write down "I acted as if I was superior to this person at the gas station," followed by your most honest statement about WHY you acted that way. What need were you looking to fulfill? These things are, most of the time, unconscious in that we don't really know why we do things but when brought into consciousness, anyone can identify the why, if they care enough! 

In writing down the action you took, the behavior you had, you start to become clear as to why you did it. It suddenly comes into your head and you have one of those moments, moments of clarity. You may be wondering, "why haven't I ever come across this incredible understanding of myself?" Well, the truth is, that most people are taken by the complication and the density of everyday experience that they don't feel the need to take control of, command and conquer what happens inside their head! Anyhow, when you have this action you took, and you believe you know WHY and what need you were trying to fulfill or meet, write down on the same piece of paper, how you can meet that same exact need, with a different action. How can you feel equally good, if not better, doing something different the next time you are in an identical or similar situation? Those two incredibly powerful and literally life changing questions can redirect your entire experience if asked on a consistent basis, and then followed by implementing new ways to act to meet the needs you're inevitably always moving to meet. 

This concept is not new, in any way but it is not used as much as it should! I never read about this anywhere, heard about it from anyone in the field of Proactive and Positive Human Change or seen it done on a large scale. I have done this with myself and have discovered not only life changing results, but an incredible trigger (realizing you can do something else to meet your need, in a more resourceful and empowering way) that induces a high performance state instantly! We talk about "state" as a way to explain how you are feeling, your state of mind, what's happening in your head and taking place physiologically at any given moment of your day. If I am walking around frustrated, annoyed, running the same negative thoughts in my brain over and over again and slowly deteriorating my resources, I am in a very disempowering state. Conversely, if I was just presented with a very stressful situation, but I am asking myself questions like "how can I use this, what can I learn, how can this benefit me now and for the rest of my life, where is the silver lining, how can I create a winning experience from this challenge," then I am in a very resourceful, peak psychophysiological state. 

Thanks for reading! This is Ryan Critchett, talking about what I'm discovering!