I often ask my clients these questions. What are the reasons why you want to do things, such as losing weight or wanting to get in shape? And it is the answer to that question, that is very important because we always have a reason behind it. Whatever the reason it is, let's say you want to lose weight because you are going on vacation, or you are getting married, because you're in a competition, because of that dress or those pants that don't fit anymore, still there is smoothing more profound why you want to lose weight.
And that other reason is because you want to be happy…
Think about it, we are all looking for our happiness, but some do it in the wrong way. As an example, an alcoholic gets temporary pleasure from drinking and that's why he keeps going back to alcohol again and again. But then comes the reality of the bad choices he is making. Addiction to alcohol, losing his family, losing his job and his health are some of the consequences of alcohol dependence.
The same with a compulsive shopper; in the beginning, that person can get a lot of pleasure from buying. But in the long term, she notices that she is spending all her money on things that don’t really matter. They spend so much time and energy just buying more stuff anyway. Drinking and compulsive chopping are very destructive habits that many people practice. On the other hand, good habits are going to bring you happiness...
8 levels you need in life to be happy...
This is where the pyramid or hierarchy of Maslow kicks in. It's very important to know this because this is how you're going to fulfill yourself and how you're going to find your happiness. There are eight steps or levels that you need to learn about and then practice throughout your life. Once you learn all the levels you can jump back and forth from one level to the other. You don't have to go in order from one to eight. You can jump from one to four or three, for example.
Being able to lose weight and get in shape is more than just something superficial; otherwise, a lot of people would do it, but the truth is, they don’t. They have a few pounds to lose and it is simple, but they make it complex. All they have to do is eat healthy and exercise. So, why don’t more succeed then? This is when it gets more complicated, because we all have our reasons, maybe we are insecure, thinking we don’t deserve it, we think we don’t have time or it’s more convenient to eat out than cook at home. If we just go back to the basics, it gets very simple. So, it's important to get the whole picture so you can lose weight and find your happiness.
So, we're going to begin with the first level, the physical level. It's our body...
You need to take care of your body. If you want to perform at your best, if you want to have strength and energy to feel confident, to feel healthy, you must take care of your body and you do that by exercising and eating healthy, by having regular bowel movements and good gut health. You need to drink water and bathe yourself. Those are basic needs in the hierarchy of Maslow pyramid. When you don't do those things, you don't feel 100% and that's when we sometimes make the wrong choices. Or we go to extremes, instead of taking care of our basic needs we start drinking alcohol and make it a daily habit. We start eating junk food and pretty soon our body starts putting on weight. Now some people go to extremes. As an example, if you are a bodybuilder and that's what you want to be, there is nothing wrong with that, but some people take it to the extreme and start doing steroids and they end up in jail, because they start buying and selling steroids or sometimes they end up in the ER because they develop health problems.
So, on a physical level, when you are taking care of your body, you need to find a balance with exercise, eating healthy, of course, bathing, going to the restroom, and drinking water. When you find that balance, it's very easy to go on to the second level.
The next level is where you feel secure and in peace...
Now there are a lot of people who will argue about this because they don't believe in God. I'm not saying that you have to believe in a God someone makes up. For many the concept of God is not clear. I'm not here to tell you to change your beliefs, but many people don't feel safe because they don't have certainty about the future, and so they don't feel inner peace. They try to find peace in many different ways, by buying insurance, by collecting money, by planning for the next day, by making sure they have a secure job. I'm not saying that this is bad. I think you should work on that no matter what. But this kind of security is very fleeting. It doesn't matter how much money you have, or how secure your job is, or if you have plans for next week or next year, you still have a measure of insecurity. So, at this level is when you need to trust God. When you trust God and do everything right, when you are on the right path, is when you feel inner peace, that's when you feel secure, when you feel completely safe, and you don’t have to worry about the future. You know that everything that happens is going to be for your own good.
Let’s move on to the third level of acceptance…
No one wants to be rejected. Sometimes there are those that, when rejected, don’t want to live anymore. They think about suicide or when in pain, people self-medicate. Many are looking for acceptance in the wrong places, such as gangs or they look for acceptance from coworkers or those they go to school or college with or look for acceptance from successful people. But we should be looking inward, as to who we really are. If you think about it, you'll never see a wolf with a hyena or a hyena with a lion, because they all have different habits. Now human beings are similar in the sense that if you have bad habits, you are not going to gravitate to those who have good ones. Simply because you don’t want the same things. So, if you want to be accepted by people with good habits, you need to make sure you are doing the same. It can be an internal struggle, but we all need to understand it’s human nature, the desire for acceptance. So, once you feel accepted, you go on to the next level.
This level is the material level…
It’s when you want a house, you want stability, clothing, a car, looking for all the material things that can help you progress in life. This is just like the physical level where people get stuck because they want a lot of material things, like expensive cars. There is nothing wrong with it if you can afford it. But many people spend all their energy and money becoming a slave to that car and buying a house, and then all they do is work all the time just trying to keep up with those material things. People that can afford it, they just continue moving forward, others get stuck. So, think about your situation. Are you able to buy and then continue moving forward to the next level or do you get stuck just slaving for what you have? Once you understand those four basic levels, then you can move around in those four levels as you want to. As an example, you take care of your body and work, go shopping or spend time with your friends, or you make time to pray. There are many things that you can do during the day that push you into all four basic levels.
Now we are going to discuss the four superior areas or levels…
These levels are the most desirable. They are the ones you want to practice every day of your life. This is where you will find your happiness. So, let's go to the fifth area.
This is the learning level…
Just like exercising is something that you want to do for life because it's going to keep your body younger, it will give you energy. Not only energy, but you are building muscle, so your body will burn more fat. Because you have the stamina, you’ll have more independence. But this is something you do for life. Sure, you can stop it at any time, but of course you won’t get the benefits. The same happens with learning. We need to continue learning our whole life; we never stop. There is so much information that we need to know. Sometimes we forget things and we need to go back and refresh our memory. We may know a lot about exercise, eating healthy, about losing weight, about finances, relationships, or business. And yet, there is still so much more to learn about endless subjects that you continue to learn throughout your life. The more knowledge you have, the more valuable you are to this world. If you think about this, let's say you get paid $20.00 an hour. But if you learned a skill, and because you are very knowledgeable, you may get paid $30.00 or more an hour. It’s not only going to help you with your finances, it's going to help you to progress, which will help you grow. It’s not the time that you invest working, but the knowledge you have with action that deliver results that pay.
Let’s move on to the sixth level of the hierarchy, which is teaching…
This level is very fulfilling. Now that you have learned and have wisdom, you can share it with others. That’s why I enjoy my job so much because I love helping people. I don't feel like it’s work, and the reason why is because I have so much fun sharing what I have learned with people and helping them to better their lives in every way. It's something that makes me super happy.
The seventh level which is helping others…
This is when you help others without expecting anything in return. You just want to help people, this level is very fulfilling as well. I pay a lot of attention to people now, not because they pay me, but because I want to see them succeed in their weight loss program and in their life. I want to see them teach and see them experiencing all these levels and become a great person, finding their happiness and moving forward making progress in their life. I also love to help animals; it's something that brings me great joy, knowing that I make a difference. This helps me to be in touch with God and helps me be at peace with myself because I know that I can help others less fortunate than me. People with disabilities, people in poverty, those who are abused, who experience horrible things in life, not because they choose it but because they don’t have the same opportunities that I have had. I give to those in need because life has given me a lot, even though I have worked for it.
The eighth and the last level, which is transcendent…
That's when you realize what your purpose in life is and you do something positive in this world. Everyone has a different purpose. If you think about Martin Luther King, he wanted to free black people and he did a lot of good and he never gave up; the same with Abraham Lincoln or Mother Teresa. They all showed compassion for those suffering. That was their purpose. So, you need to find your purpose.
If you practice these 8 levels you need in life to be happy, you not regret. Of course, there will be challenges and heartaches in life, but they are not going to control you because you learned from level two, that everything is going to be ok no matter what happens. You have that sense of peace and when you have questions about life you continue to take in knowledge, which is the fifth level, and then you use it to help others. If you want to be healthy and independent, you go to the first level. If you want to be economically free, you go to the fourth level. In conclusion, you must practice all these levels every day. If you do this, you will transcend, and live a fulfilling life. You will become a different person. And this is how you find happiness.