People speed through life like a NASCAR driver without actually stopping and understanding what they need. People need freedom, especially introverts. This includes the basic life essentials. Maslow’s pyramid starts with basic needs at the bottom. Most people let alone introverts don’t even make it to the top of the pyramid.
The problem most introverts have is trying to skip steps on the pyramid. Let’s take a look at Maslow’s pyramid. In this order starting with food and clothes, job security, human connections, esteem, and then self-actualization. At best, life is challenging and sprinkled with some awesome moments so you need to make life easier. The key is to start simple with getting your needs met. Once you cross off one need then you can march your way up to the next level.
Here is a breakdown of the pyramid.
Don’t starve to death
Food, shelter, and clothes are basic needs even cavemen knew of in the prehistoric age.
If you have ever been around homeless people, you will be able to notice the onslaught of mental health issues that plagues them. Imagine if you didn’t get any food, sleep, or shelter for a very painful long duration. You probably would go crazy as your body would start to shut down. That is what homeless people go through. Introverts use a lot of mental energy due to the grind of daily social obligations. This starts with getting proper rest, healthy food, and having a healthy environment to lay your head in at night.
Getting the proper rest and nutrition allows an introvert to direct and delegate their social energy toward priorities and obligations for the day.
Health is wealth
Having bad health is expensive.
Health in western culture is considered to be expensive. But having bad health is also expensive. All of the hospital visits, medications, and bill eventually adds up. But in order to pay for health products, you need to have a job. Having a combination of these is known to have some security. Health and job security are synonymous because you can’t have one without the other. When you have bad health, you need finances to help pay for it. But on the other hand, when you have a job that stresses you out, your health suffers.
Introverts struggle with security because bills need to be paid usually with a toxic job. Introverts need passion projects on the side to help them create something they can hopefully turn into a full-time thing.
We need love
When prisoners act up, they are thrown in solitary isolation for a reason.
In the bible, God banished Cain to wander the earth alone as a wanderer. The theme here is both situations used isolation as a form of punishment. Humans are not meant to live without some form of human connection. Contrary to popular belief about Facetime and other forms of digital communication, your phone and computer screens will not replace the feel-good emotions that you get from man hugs and fist bumps with the homies or hugs and kisses from your girlfriends.
Even introverts need connection even though they can be hermits until the end of time. All you need is a few people that you connect with deeply who are also in proximity.
Entitled with titles
Status, success trinkets, and titles attached to your name give you perceived value to others.
Everyone needs to feel good about themselves. But this is the conundrum we all deal with. People’s need to feel good supersedes everything else, especially anything that has value. If this wasn’t the case there would not be a plethora of addictions and mental health issues related to toxic self-esteem issues. When putting in the work to build your self-esteem in a healthy manner, people tend to get lazy and just accomplish shallow goals such as accumulating titles to add to their career objectives. Many people skip basic needs and go straight to this part of the pyramid to simply fill themselves up with empty shallow feel-good feelings.
This part of the pyramid is going to be extremely easy for introverts because introverts spend 24 hours a day thinking about how they can be of value to the world. In the introverted world, this is a natural process.
Getting the glow
There is a small percentage of people who fulfill their full potential to shine and glow like a lighthouse.
Self-actualization is known to be the most challenging to reach among the hierarchy of needs. Reaching your potential and feeling like you have reached your potential are two different things. Your perception of reaching your potential is determined by the opinions of outsiders. How many times in your life have you heard someone tell you how much potential you have? Humans innately feel like they are never doing enough. Rarely do you meet people who feel like they have reached their full potential in life.
Introverts will spend their entire life attempting to reach their full potential. Introverts need to feel fulfilled like humans need oxygen. No matter how long it takes, stay the course chasing your potential.