L-Factor

 

We all want the good, the best. Isn't it? That was the reason why I wrote my last post on organizing the importants over the urgent. Those who have followed my previous posts know what I mean when I say quadrant II. Quadrant II is that place where we know what is not so urgent, but it is important. This is the most preferred state of life to be lived to keep aside those things that are not urgent and focus on what is important. 

This search landed me on the L-factor. Covey, in his book First Things First, says that there are basic human needs: to live, to love, to learn, and to leave a legacy. Something similar was what Abraham Maslow had been speaking about in 1943 in his hierarchy theory/need theory. The heading of his paper was "The Theory of Human Motivation." Yes, our needs are our source of motivation, and motivation is integral to our lives. If we are motivated, our work is done so swiftly, whereas when we are demotivated, we don't feel like doing these things. Isn't it? We all face situations when we feel depressed. What happens when we are depressed? We don't feel like doing things because we have lost our motivation to do them. I still remember my school days when I eagerly wanted to finish schooling and get a job. Why? My motivation was to get a job and start fulfilling my own needs of food, clothing, housing, and safety and security. When I got a good job and was able to meet all these needs of mine myself, then I started thinking, what else can I do? Then I started seeing, am I being loved in the place I work, in my house? Do I feel loved and belonged? The attitude and actions of everyone spoke about it. I missed this in my first job that made me quit it. Once I reached a place where I felt I was being loved, then I thought, now what? I found that I wanted to add more knowledge. I enrolled in my master's program, and as I was reading, my ideas struck me, and I shared them in my workplace, and they were well admired. My esteem was raised. I am still in this field only, but then I feel I have a desire for self-actualization. Every individual has a different way of self-actualizing—some might write a book, some might teach, and some might create a new application or a sculpture or a painting, etc. Once we have been able to accomplish this, then we feel to search for meaning in life-helping others, seeking spiritual things, and connecting with nature, etc. Maslow added further needs in 1970 in this theory. Below is Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, both old and new, compiled together. 

So, now let us give a close look. When we talk about "to live," what do you mean by that? When we talk about 'to live,' we are basically talking about our physiological needs and safety needs. When we talk about "to love," we are basically talking about our love and belonging needs and esteem needs. When we talk about "to learn," we are talking about cognitive and aesthetic needs. Further, when we talk about "leaving a legacy," we are talking about our self-actualization and self-transcendence needs. 

Now, by hierarchy I don't mean that if we are in safety need we will not feel hungry or thirsty but that the source of meeting them is resolved, so I am more focused on higher need fulfillment. If one of these needs is not fulfilled, it can drive us to urgency addiction. For example, if you don't have a job, you feel crazy to find one because you need money to buy food and clothing and pay rent, bills, etc. At that time you don't focus on study or anything else but getting a job and earning. One unmet need, just like here, is the job makes it the most urgent thing to be done. Thus, it becomes the dominating and pressing factor to keep you on your toes while the other needs suffer. 

Further, all these needs are interrelated. We cannot fathom worlds until we learn to address our needs rather than ignoring other needs for one unmet need. This calls for the role of a personal leader, i.e., one who is opportunity-oriented rather than problem-oriented. 

A- https://water-1droplet.blogspot.com/2025/04/acceptance-of-self.html?zx=af3c2e13bf8aa3d6

B- https://water-1droplet.blogspot.com/2025/04/boundaries-to-set.html

C- https://water-1droplet.blogspot.com/2025/04/compassion-on-yourself.html

D- https://water-1droplet.blogspot.com/2025/04/discovering-oneself.html

E

F- https://water-1droplet.blogspot.com/2025/04/forgiving-yourself.html

G- https://water-1droplet.blogspot.com/2025/04/grains-of-gratitude.html

H- https://water-1droplet.blogspot.com/2025/04/human-experiences-common-to-all.html

I

J

K- https://water-1droplet.blogspot.com/2025/04/kindness-to-self.html

L- https://water-1droplet.blogspot.com/2025/04/l-factor.html

M- https://water-1droplet.blogspot.com/2025/04/mindfulness-for-self-compassion.html

N- https://water-1droplet.blogspot.com/2025/04/no-that-needs-your-attention.html

O- https://water-1droplet.blogspot.com/2025/04/organize-importants-over-urgent.html

P- https://water-1droplet.blogspot.com/2025/04/prioritize-yourself.html

Q- https://water-1droplet.blogspot.com/2025/04/qualm-effect.html 

R

S

T

U- https://water-1droplet.blogspot.com/2025/04/urgency-addiction.html

V

W- https://water-1droplet.blogspot.com/2025/04/wellness-most-awaited-self-care.html 

X- https://water-1droplet.blogspot.com/2025/04/x-factor-reveal.html

Y- https://water-1droplet.blogspot.com/2025/04/talking-to-yourself.html

Z- https://water-1droplet.blogspot.com/2025/04/zaniness-of-you-to-embrace.html

"I'm participating in #BlogchatterA2Z," and hyperlink this line to https://www.theblogchatter.com