Anthony Robbins says there are six basic human needs: Certainty, Uncertainty, Significance, Love/connection, Growth and Contribution.
I understand basic human needs in the context of survival – eg food, shelter etc. But I think he is talking about thriving, rather than just surviving…
The basic human need that I initially struggled to understand was significance. It triggered a thought about living up to what society deems worthy and in the first instance I felt I didn’t want to relate to it. But on second thoughts I think it’s actually massively important and can be very real and true when looked at on a personal level. Significance is about purpose, about meaning, about the reason we are here. To feel like you have no significance is such a confusing and lonely place, which inevitably we all visit at one point or another. But when you feel truly significant you draw out your own parameters based on what makes your heart pump, your lungs fill with air and your senses come alive. And in that sense, significance is so clearly a basic human need required to live life to your full potential.
I am significant because I am a coach!
