Life has been moving super fast due to work and travel on top of it, but also the end of the year just has a tendency to go 10x faster, don’t you think?
The last month of the decade is upon us which prompts a strong desire for change, and sometimes it feels like there’s a lot to figure out by the end of the year. Where do we want to go? What do we want to accomplish? But most importantly — I’ve been getting clear about what my core needs and desires for the near future are.
I’m coming to understand and listen to the part of me that truly craves some stability and grounding. I’ve always been an explorer, wanting to swallow the entire world at once — seeing everything I could possibly see. Always looking for something, which to be honest, I’m still unsure of what exactly it is.
I’m a stubborn, nomadic spirit — but I’m learning that sometimes the inability to settle and lay down some roots can be problematic for my sense of well-being and security (core needs).
Becoming a fight attendant intensified the inconsistencies in my life, turning my world upside down in ways that are challenging to keep up with sometimes. Though I’m grateful for the opportunities it’s provided me, I feel as though I’ve lost substantial control of my stability — my sense of home and of belonging, as well as the daily routines that ground me to my body & spirit.
You’ve probably heard of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, as depicted below:
According to Maslow, humans are driven to meet all of our five needs: physiological, safety, love/belonging, esteem and self-actualization. Each time we meet a need at the bottom of the pyramid, we can continue moving up towards self-actualization.
My focus usually tends to hang out somewhere towards the top of the pyramid, as I intent to build esteem and to self-actualize. My guess is that might be where your focus usually is, too.
But at this point in my life, I’m finding it valuable to revisit some of the more basic needs before I can continue building loftier goals for the future.
My desire for stability personally relates to “safety,” as it affects my well-being & health. “Belonging” also comes into play, since I would like to call in a greater sense of community in my life.
I’m not sure exactly how all the pieces will fall together to meet these basic needs yet, but I’m confident that becoming aware of them and setting an intention to grant these desires is the most important step I can take right now.
If you are finding yourself wanting to set some goals for 2020, my little offering to you is that you identify whether your core needs are being met first, or how you can make the foundation of your pyramid even stronger.
Remember that you can personally decide what these needs look like for you. The concept of “stability and routine” used to be unappealing to me because I related them to boredom. But when I journaled on what stability and grounding look like for me, it actually does include making time for travel — just the more voluntary and refreshing kind lol.
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this food for thought. I’m certainly processing and learning a lot as this year wraps up, and wishing you all the best as you make your way to the end of this decade, too.
Freedom-Based Living 