Anyone who knows me knows that I am sort of an expert when it comes to analogies. Describing emotions and feelings to people and getting them to connect the dots for themselves is something I take great pride in. A large part of my coaching sessions will revolve around teaching my clients the six human needs behaviour model. This model has some similarities to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, but has some very important differences as well.
The six human needs model helps to teach us the blue print and the instruction manual for our emotions and the reasons behind our actions. There are 4 needs in the “personality” category, and 2 in the “spiritual” category.
Personality needs:
- Certainty
- Variety
- Significance
- Connection
Spiritual needs:
- Contribution
- Growth
These first 4 needs of the personality are involuntary. You will meet them in any way possible. You have been, and will continue to meet them even if you did not know about this model. The last 2, which are the needs of the spirit, are not involuntary. You must seek them out and are the key to prolonged fulfillment and happiness.
The analogy I use for this model is to imagine a car with 6 gas tanks. You can continue to run close to empty, or stop last minute at run down gas stations, pop $7.50 of gas into a tank or two just to keep the car running. Maybe you put the right kind of gas into each tank, or maybe you accidentally put some diesel in there. This is how many of us live our lives. Running on empty in many of our tanks, and breaking down on the highway when things get hectic. The goal is to find out what tanks are full, which ones are empty, and what kind of gas each takes. Only then will your car (life) be able to operate optimally and smoothly.
Career, Life, & Relationship Coaching 