Finding Happiness and Joy
This is a very sought after desire which would seem to be the main passion of mankind. So what are the things that bring true joy, and how can you find true happiness? Having a state of joy could be one of the greatest gifts that a person could have. If you imagine you come into life as a small baby, you have no understanding of the world. For years you are taught first by your parents then by teachers at schools various things that are expected of you to be able to live in society. You acquire a number of different values which tend to be the things that govern your life. For some people the idea of earning vast amounts of money and retiring in comfort could be their main value. For others it may be to have a wonderful family life. For some it may be a driving desire to be at the top of their profession. A man named Maslow came up with what is called the “Hierarchy of needs.” He created a pyramid of needs, this is interesting and can give us a deeper look at finding joy by first understanding the human needs.
Hierarchy of Needs
He suggest that a person needs to attain one level of need before moving on to the next higher need, the first level is:-
1. Physiological needs, which are the need for survival, for example food, air, water. These are basic things without which the body would not survive.
2. Safety needs these include things like Health and Well being, financial security, Personal security, prevention of accidents and illnesses. Once these needs have been met we move on to the next level.
3. Love and Belonging this can include things like Friendship, Intimacy, Family, he suggest that humans need to feel a sense of belonging and also acceptance, this can come from a variety of sources for example churches, clubs, professional organisations etc. He points out that humans need to love and be loved.
4. Esteem he indicates that all humans have a need for respect and self-esteem. He says that people who suffer from low self-esteem may not improve themselves just by receiving fame, glory or respect unless they accept themselves internally.
5. Self-Actualization “What a man can be, he must be” this level is about a persons full potential and realizing that full potential.
One of the things he suggests that a person must master each lower level of needs before raising to the next level. But there have been other writers who have criticised his hierarchy of needs due to the fact that the study was conducted in the USA, hence it could be seen as narrow in its views.
Spiritual Beings
One of the interesting ideas is that self-esteem and the idea of being able to attain your full potential, also a mention that self-esteem as acceptance internally. I am of the view that all we need is possibly within us, and has always been within us and probably will always be within us. Let us now look at an earlier question, Having a state of peace could be one of the greatest gifts that a person could have, why is this? Once a person has peace within them, it would not matter what external problems come they would still feel settled and reassured.
There was an interesting quote that I once heard which states that, “We are spiritual beings having an earthly experience”. If this statement was true them it basically can change the way a person looks on life. For example if we are spiritual beings here to have an earthly experience then it could be we are here to learn what it feels to experience a given set of circumstances. If we are eternal spiritual beings, then it could be the case that after this life we would just return to the state we were in prior to being in this human manifestation. And that could suggest that we were in a state of joy before being here on earth. So why not take time to look at your life and decide what things do you really want from life. And next work out a definite plan to achieve them. This could be achieved by setting yourself SMART goals. Well I hope these are a few positive thoughts to make you think and to allow you to find inner joy within yourself.
MGA Brown is the Author of winning book “Thoughts To Make You Think”
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