Maslow's Hierarchy Of Gratitude

Abraham Maslow put forward a theory for what humans need to thrive. In this meditation we reflect on this framework and how lucky we really are. I'll guide you through the 7 levels of needs and show you just how much you have and why every day brings with it an opportunity to be grateful.

Transcript

Maslow's Hierarchy of Gratitude.

Get yourself into a nice comfortable seat,

Bring your eyes to close,

Breathe in and out through the nostrils.

Just start to settle in.

I have a little story for you before we get started.

In my seven years studying psychology and neuroscience,

I covered many theories and many theorists.

Few though are as famous or memorable as Abraham Maslow.

Famous for his hierarchy of needs.

I'm sure you have heard about it or seen it somewhere before but I'll give you a little refresher or breakdown so long.

Maslow laid out that certain needs of humans needed to be fulfilled before they were motivated to seek out others.

This formed a hierarchy,

Most commonly presented as a pyramid,

Although he never illustrated it that way.

So his idea was only once you have food and water could you be motivated to find shelter.

Only once you had shelter could you be concerned with friends or being loved or self-actualizing.

It was a tool for assessing what people were lacking.

Today though,

I want to flip it on its head,

I want us to use it to recognize how much we have.

So as you sit there,

Let's start at the bottom of the hierarchy.

As I go through each item,

I want you to reflect on the importance of each thing and also then how lucky you are to have it.

Let's start together.

Level 1.

Physiological Needs Air.

The very thing you take for granted every second.

The thing without which you would perish in minutes.

The thing your incredibly smart body breathes in and out continually without you having to do a thing.

Can you start by giving gratitude to the earth for making this essential source of life?

And then can you give some gratitude to your body for being smart enough to absorb it?

Now make your next few breaths conscious and embrace this life force,

This vapor version of energy that fuels everything you do.

Pick it up as you prolong each breath like it was your last one.

As you do so,

Can you taste the sweetness of life within it?

Okay great.

One more time,

Give thanks to the plants and the earth for taking your wasted air,

Recycling it and keeping you alive.

Next on the list,

Food and water.

When last did you have either?

Were they simply scraps or were they part of an entire balanced meal?

Was it just bland food or was it delicious?

Were these foods transported to you from near and far,

Grown or reared by people who dedicated their life to providing you with sustenance?

Right now in your home,

How much excess of both food and water do you have?

Give thanks to all those that partake in providing you with this culinary treasure that exists within your house.

Next let's think of the heat or coolness and the shelter you possess.

Right now in whatever structure you're in,

Wearing whatever clothing you have,

Providing you with comfort and just the right amount of warmth,

Forming a barrier against the harshness of nature and its elements.

Think of the multiple structures you enter day to day that all give you shelter.

The excess clothes you have to wear,

The different colours of the same items,

How you always have something clean and available to you.

Give thanks now to all those who built these shelters,

All those who made your clothes and all those that help maintain both.

Level 2.

Safety Think now of how safe you are today,

Firstly in terms of health.

Think of how many miracle cures have been discovered and given to you before you were even an adult,

How soaps and disinfectants mean infections are a thing of the past and how antibiotics ensure even when you get them,

You are safe.

Think how safe you are right now from war,

From famine,

From violence.

Don't be fooled by the 24 hour news.

We live in the safest time in history,

With less war,

Less terror,

Less childhood mortality,

Less poverty and longer lives and more prosperous lives.

Give thanks to those before you that fought and died for your freedom,

Who work so hard to make and administer the medicine that keeps you alive,

Or patrol the streets and borders to keep you safe and maintain your free society.

Closer to home,

Think of the people in your past who cared for you as a child,

Your guardians who kept you safe as you grew.

Give thanks for all the safety that you enjoy.

Level 3,

Love and social needs.

Think of all the interactions in your life,

From the smallest chats to the deepest conversations.

Think of those you have in your life who care for you and look out for you,

Your family members who check in on you,

Who wish the best for you even if you don't always see eye to eye.

Think of the friends who invite you to events and share silly memes with you.

Think of your work colleagues who get you coffee.

Think of all the acts of love that people have shown you and continue to,

Not because they need things,

But because they see you and they care for you.

Think of what a privilege it is to have these interactions in your life,

To have these people in your life.

Think of how much sweeter life is with them.

Give thanks to them all.

Level 4,

Esteem.

Now think of what you have achieved in your life,

The things big and small that you have put your mind to and accomplished.

Think of these aspects of your character that make you proud,

Moments when you stuck up for others or helped others.

Think of what capabilities you have and what you could still achieve,

The potential that you inhabit,

The capability you have to make the world better.

Thank yourself for getting this far,

For all your hard work and commit to carry on being who you could be.

Level 5,

Cognition.

Think of how much information is at your fingertips,

How many facts you have access to,

How much technical know-how you can glean in just a second of searching.

Think of all the great thinkers that make you more informed today than most educated people were 200 years ago.

Think of the marvels of technology and the freedom you have to learn in every moment in your life.

Give thanks to those who created these technologies and give thanks to those who taught you with patience.

Level 6,

Aesthetic needs.

Think now of all the beauty that exists around you.

Think of all the gorgeous buildings in your city or town,

The manicured lawns,

The open parks,

The animals you see,

The trees that stand tall,

The flowers that present themselves to you,

The morning sunrise,

The hues of blue at dusk or the stars in the sky.

Think of the beauty within your own home,

The lighting,

The furniture,

Your pets.

Think of all the items that are candy for your eyes,

That inspire you,

That demand awe.

Give thanks to these things for creating a beautiful backdrop to your life.

Level 7,

Self-actualization.

Take a moment to reflect on the life you are currently living.

To what degree have you been given the opportunity to be all you can be?

How many helping hands have you been given on the way?

Were you blessed with natural talents or a strong will?

Were you given access to great education or great parents?

How close do you feel you are to being your ideal self?

We all fall short of our ideal self.

But if you are in any way close,

You are in such a great position in life.

If you are here,

It means you are no longer burdened by basic needs of life,

Safety,

Cognition,

Esteems or aesthetics.

If you are here and even concerned with being your ideal self,

It means you are above most things that you need in life.

If you are here then give thanks to all those that helped you reach this point.

The earth for providing you with the basic needs of your survival.

All your ancestors who survived long enough to give rise to your bloodline.

All those characters of history who have paved the way for you to live in such a prosperous society.

All those custodians who kept you safe.

Those that cared for you and loved you and supported you.

All those that stimulated your mind and fed you curiosity.

All the beauty in the world that presents itself to you on a daily basis.

If you are here then you owe it to yourself and all those that have helped you on the way to dig deeper into yourself and uncover more of your divine self.

You show your gratitude to all of those people including yourself by becoming all you can be through your action of self-actualizing.

We're all rooting for you and I hope this meditation helps you get there.

I hope this meditation has helped you realize just how much there is to be grateful for.

Reviews

What a creative way to look at the hierarchy of needs to examine gratitude! Thank you Doug!

Thank you.

This reminds one that we get to be grateful for everything around us.

Very powerful. Thank you Douglas and anyone reading this. Gratitude makes what I have enough 🙏🏻💕✨🌴

Wow - 🙏 thank you for this beautiful meditation. I will definitely come back to it.

What a fantastic and meaningful re-interpretation (re-imagination?) of Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. I found it just when I needed it. Namaste. 🙏

Absolutely amazing 🥰 thank you so much for sharing🙏🏽🩵

This was a beautiful and powerful meditation. Thank you🙏

I am weeping. This is the most beautiful, most powerful prayer of gratitude I have ever encountered. By turning Maslow's Hierarchy on it's head, you have given me the gift of a new perspective that I feel in my bones, in my soul. Everything looks and feels different- brighter, lighter. I am less in my head and more in my heart. Thank you, Teacher 🙏