Tapping into human needs to buy gifts

We're all just human..
Who else switches on the news at night and wishes they hadn't?  Who else wants to be bombarded with news of war, destruction, flooding, greed & illness?  Each of us has the power to create more goodness in the world by giving gifts to people we know and people we don't.  We're human and we have needs, in particular those of a spiritual variety (and we're not necessarily talking religion, here)

Human and needing...

At a fantastic Tony Robbins' event (he is an amazing motivational speaker), I was introduced to the Six Human Needs, and it seems to me that they fulfil giving gifts very well.  We can use them as a guideline when it comes to choosing a gift that really matters. What do you want your gift to really give your loved one?

1. Cetainty.   Giving gifts can provide us with that - it shows we care, that we have people to give to, that we are human and strong enough to give.  And it gives loved ones something they know they care about.
2. Uncertainty - giving gits can mean opening doors to other attitudes, knowledge, beliefs & confidence which can give them a nudge into new directions.  Would we all want to have the same career all our lives?
3. Feeling significant, to feel that we matter, and we want our lives to have meaning and significance.  Giving gifts shows people that they matter to us.
4. Feeling connected, and to be loved. We want to belong.  Giving gifts of connection & belonging costs us nothing.  Smiling at someone makes them feel connected.  Talking to the elderly lady in the corner shop makes her feel connected.  Talking to a disaffected youth at a bus shop makes him feel noticed.
5. Wanting to grow, to improve our skills, to excel, to be the best we can be.  So why is it so many people in this world only believe they can be their best when they have the perfect weight, the perfect figure?  What better way to discover what we're really made of than to go outside of our comfortable worlds and really make a difference elsewhere?  People are dying of loneliness out in this world - some live next door to us - and we're all worried about the way we look & whether we have too many pounds on us?
6. To contribute, to make a difference. When we die, we want to look back on what we've left, we've created, the difference we've made.  We want to feel we've left the planet & the people and animals on it in better shape

You can use these needs to help you choose the right gift for the one you love.  A gift which gives certainty, uncertainty - what comes next in our lives? - the knowledge that we are significant, loved, that we've grown over time and can make a difference to those causes we care about.

Fulfilling our own human needs

As well as giving gifts which give people one of these human needs, we can fulfil these needs for ourselves in our own lives by thinking about what's important to us, creating certainty, enjoying the challenge & thrill of the uncertain, wanting to feel significant at work, in our families, our communities; creating warm family atmospheres, plotting our learning & development, and making a difference. 

Get thinking & then plan

You can ensure that any of these needs are met in your own life - you just need to stop, take the time to reflect & think about them and how you want to go about it.  And then get on and do it.