“Water does not resist. Water flows. When you plunge your hand into it, all you feel is a caress. Water is not a solid wall, it will not stop you. But water always goes where it wants to go, and nothing in the end can stand against it. Water is patient. Dripping water wears away a stone. Remember that, my child. Remember you are half water. If you can’t go through an obstacle, go around it. Water does.”― Margaret Atwood, The Penelopiad
So let’s start with the beginning. With the photosynthesis of a plant. Plants need air, light, warmth, water and nutrients to be healthy. If they are healthy, they can continue making their own food through photosynthesis. The same theory applies to management of individuals. I don’t know about you but I need my ‘’water’ ’and other types of” nutrients” to be healthy. I need a healthy environment to grow and thrive. But on the same token I am like water. I flow and go where I want to go, I move obstacles to achieve my milestones and so forth.
Today I brought this metaphor to you in order to draw you attention that we all need a healthy environment to thrive. Although plants needs air,light,warmth and water we ,humans,need much more to grow. Sometimes we are lucky enough to be working for amazing organization which not only gave us water to grow but also help us to nourish enough to strive however not everyone is as lucky. I am just thinking about the one who are working/living in a “toxic” environment .I can picture in my head how these individuals gasp for water .What really happens with these individuals? How they manage to get the power to survive in a long period of drought? Herein the metaphor could relate to cultural backgrounds and any other PESTLE factors.
Exploiting “human plants “ natural response to stress caused by drought, researchers have engineered crops that build tolerance and can withstand longer without water, while also extending the point of no return when no amount of water can save the withered plant.
Today I was thinking again about correlation between “Marlow Hierarchy of needs” and our psychological desire to grow at different level. What really motivates us? Where is the need to water ourselves to fulfil our needs? What type of crop had been synthetized to build tolerance and acceptance to the current level of needs?
Maslow (1943) stated that people are motivated to achieve certain needs. When one need is fulfilled a person seeks to fullfil the next one, and so on.The earliest and most widespread version of Maslow’s (1943, 1954) hierarchy of needs includes five motivational needs, often depicted as hierarchical levels within a pyramid.This five stage model can be divided into basic (or deficiency) needs (e.g. physiological, safety, love, and esteem) and growth needs (self-actualization).
The deficiency, or basic needs are said to motivate people when they are unmet. Also, the need to fulfil such needs will become stronger the longer the duration they are denied. For example, the longer a person goes without food the more hungry they will become.One must satisfy lower level basic needs before progressing on to meet higher level growth needs. Once these needs have been reasonably satisfied, one may be able to reach the highest level called self-actualization.
Every person is capable and has the desire to move up the hierarchy toward a level of self-actualization. Unfortunately, progress is often disrupted by failure to meet lower level needs. Life experiences including divorce and loss of job may cause an individual to fluctuate between levels of the hierarchy.
Having said that how we move on? How do we survive in a dry land? Reflecting on the paradigm of Marslow ‘s needs I think we should rather focus on primary level of needs in order to survive. For some getting back to basic is degrading however I believe that getting back to basic required lots of strength and wisdom. We all need that type of “water” to survive so let start in here.
Dare,dream,Do.Never give up and that’s my answer…Somewhere and somehow you will get the “water” to survive.
Reference
http://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html accessed today,29/06/15
mimipopa 