Success, Satisfaction and your Soul

 

True success comes with deep satisfaction. If you have hit your target income level, bought the right house in the right neighborhood, have the fancy car or maybe the corner office but do not feel truly happy and satisfied with yourself or your life I would suggest that your success benchmarks are incorrect.

As Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs shows us, the two lowest levels are Physiological and Safety needs. These lowest levels are important but do not provide us with long term fulfillment, satisfaction, or happiness. The first two levels are basic life needs, also known as deficiency needs, which need to be met before you can move to higher levels. It is not until you move further up Maslow’s pyramid (into growth needs) that one begins to feel a sense of true accomplishment and satisfaction.  Everyone needs to have their Physiological needs (food, water, shelter, clothing, sleep) and their Safety needs (personal security, employment, health, resources) met before they can move up the pyramid into the three growth levels.

If you really think about it, all the achievements listed at the beginning of this article only fulfill the deficiency needs. A higher income, nicer home, etc. certainly goes beyond basic needs and can make you good temporarily, but they do not help meet your higher-level needs, or as I would say – they do not feed your soul.

Your soul wants (nay – needs) you to push your growth forward and to become the person you are destined to be. You have greatness in you. You have the ability and the responsibility to engage and contribute to the world around you. You must help lift others higher as you progress. True success is not about you – it’s about what you are doing with the gifts and talents you were born with to help others grow and achieve more than they feel possible. 

It is in helping others develop and shine that you will feel that overwhelming sense of satisfaction with your life that you are internally craving. Focus forward, focus on others. That is how you feed your soul. That is how you become a true success.