We are all trying to be happy! In order to be happy, we need to meet each of our five basic needs. They are:
- Love and belonging – the need to feel connected, included, a part of a group, friendship, loved and that sense of belonging;
- Power – the need to feel successful, competent, capable and confident in different skills;
- Freedom – the need to be able to make healthy choices, have independence, think creatively and to take risks;
- Fun – the need for laughter, enjoyment, play and pleasurable learning; and
- Survival – the need for safety, good health, basic needs of the body, rest, shelter, clothing, water and air.
If these five needs are met, we are happy. If they are not met, we generally behave to meet those needs. Each of us has one need that we are more intensely paying attention to. For example, my strongest need is freedom. I like to take risks, learn new things regularly and think big picture ideas. What is your greatest intensity of the above needs besides survival. The first four are what we call our psychological needs, but survival is our physical need.