Needs ...

The most fundamental need we have is for certainty. We need to be certain that we are safe and secure; that we have a place to live and food to eat. This of course, ties in with certainty of gainful employment (or self-employment), etc.
Once we have squared away this need, the next in line is almost the exact opposite – a little uncertainty. Some excitement, something that appeals to our ‘inner child’; this is one of the main reasons people take up sports and embark on adventures; these things provide us with excitement born out of a sense of uncertainty.
Beyond these things, most of us want to feel that we are ‘significant’ in some way. We want to achieve. We feel a need to be acknowledged for our uniqueness.
When this uniqueness is acknowledged by another (whose uniqueness we in turn acknowledge) we sometimes find ‘love’. Love is a fundamental human need that can surpass all others when conditions are right.
If all of the above needs are being met, we will most likely yearn for some sense of ‘improvement’ or ‘growth’. Most of us feel the need to ‘aspire’, ‘move forward’, and improve the ways in which we connect with the world around us.
Lastly, one of the most important of human needs, is a quiet, (gentle nagging) insistence that we feel from within – the need to ‘contribute’. ‘Give something back’, we often hear successful people say.
For me, my martial arts training has always been in complete congruence with this philosophy of 'needs'. The confidence I earned from my training, took me from a place of uncertainty to a place of certainty. It also provided the next need – a little excitement. The chaos of fighting spoke deeply to my inner child. My achievements within the martial arts field gave me a sense of significance. Through such significance, I met the love of my life – and married her. The martial arts have inspired me to adopt an attitude of ‘excellence’ – I have applied this thinking to most areas of my life and been the better for it. Finally, I have more of a connection than ever before, with the nagging need to ‘give something back’ – providing others with what they need and want is something the universe seems to greatly approve of.
The martial arts journey is a journey of self-discovery and growth. I cannot recommend it highly enough. A deep connection to training provides me with a deep connection to life. Get connected.
JBW