"What a man can be, he must be."
I've been thinking a lot about personal growth lately, and the foundation required for self actualization and fulfilling our potential. This is also related to the concept of underlying goals that TMGOP refers to. Why did I WANT to try to run up a big win into a new all time record win? In live poker, why do I sometimes worry about looking foolish when considering a river bluff/bluffcatch.
Even beyond poker, WHY do we do what we do?
Here is Maslow's famous hierarchy of needs:
This is pretty similar to Tony Robbins' Six Basic Human Needs:
Certainty
Uncertainty
Love/Connection
Significance
Growth
Contribution
I put a gap after the first four, as they really serve as the foundation for being in a state where we can achieve our potential. He has a famous TED Talk about this that you can view here:
http://www.ted.com/talks/tony_robbin...do?language=en
I actually got looking into these 6 needs when the concept was introduced in a financial planning book I am reading (Money: Master the Game). The more I think about this, the more I can see these basic needs in action both in myself and in others. It's easy to see why someone who feels a lack of significance can be allured by violence, for example. If I point a gun at you, all of a sudden I'm pretty much the most significant thing in your entire life.
I have been thinking about how those needs relate to me in my life:
Certainty - I have a stable relationship and my financial picture is much more solid than it has been in the past. There is still a large mountain to climb, but I'm on my way.
Uncertainty - The nature of poker income and also the changing landscape of poker in the US provides plenty of uncertainty and variety.
Love/Connection - Things with my girlfriend are going well and moving forward. My dog and cat also satisfy this to a smaller extent.
Significance - Being a coach for the stable allows me to feel significant and that my thoughts/opinions are valued and meaningful.
Growth - I have been undergoing a lot of personal growth lately, and it is a relatively new thing in my life approach. Most of my focus currently is psychological.
Contribution - My ultimate contribution goal is to be able to be a highly effective parent, and provide my future children with resources and guidance and knowledge that I didn't have the benefit of. In the short term future, I am in the process of seeking out a preferred charity, and I am specifically leaning towards stem cell research.
I am finding that viewing the world through this prism of basic needs is helpful to me, and does quite a bit to make me feel more motivated, and more eager to give my best effort and improve/grow. It also is helping me feel more balanced in life, and I can see the value and importance of finding ways to improve how I address my basic needs. If this is interesting to you, give the TED talk linked above a watch and hopefully you will find it beneficial.
Last edited by benjamin barker; 02-20-2015 at 02:30 PM.