Fulfilling the Need for Significance

As humans, we have six basic human needs that drive us. Having a sense of significance — feeling that we matter, that we’re wanted, and appreciated — is critical to our personal growth and well-being.

Key takeaways:

• Significance is one of the most important of the six human needs.
• We unconsciously seek to fulfill these needs every day.
• How you fulfill the need for significance can affect your life’s purpose.
• There are both healthy and unhealthy ways to fulfill your basic needs.
• Fulfilling the need for significance is essential to achieving good mental and emotional health.
• Becoming an expert in your field, giving to charity, and being mindful of what matters to you can effectively fulfill your sense of significance.

One thing that makes you life worth living is a feeling of significance. Some of my most treasured memories are times when I shared something, and in doing so, it made me feel special, needed, and valued — and I bet some of yours are, too.

Significance is one of the six basic human needs. It is in the top four key personality-building needs, along with certainty, variety, and connection. The amount of significance you feel and how you fill that need has a major effect on how you view and work toward your life’s purpose.

People find all sorts of ways to meet their need for significance. Some ways are helpful and promote growth in other areas of life. Other methods to achieve a feeling of significance are less practical and can even be considered harmful behavior. In this article, I will explore the need for significance and how it affects your life purpose, and offer some fun ways to define significance in your life.

Significance and the six core human needs

Our six core needs are comprised of four basic personality needs: certainty, variety, significance, and connection, and two spiritual needs: growth and contribution. We typically strive to meet the four personality needs first, and two of those four will generally be stronger drivers than the other two. The importance of each need is different for everyone.

Significance is dependent upon the people around you. Fulfilling the need for significance is a group effort. Not only do you need other people to help you feel valued, but you also help the people around you feel valued and appreciated.

Feeling significant, or that you matter, is imperative to emotional well-being and happiness. It is a major factor in developing your life’s purpose because of its ability to decrease depression, increase self-worth, and boost motivation.

When you feel good about yourself, you want other people to feel the same way — and that comes through in your life’s purpose.

Fulfilling the need for significance

Despite its importance, the need for significance is sometimes forgotten. It’s easy to overlook your ego when bills need to be paid and your family needs to be cared for, but maintaining a sense of significance is paramount to finding and living your life’s purpose.

The good news is that this process isn’t as difficult as it may seem. There are many simple, fun, and productive ways to fulfill the need for significance.

Introspection

While you need other people to feel valued, defining your significance requires some introspection. Look inside yourself to discover the things in your life that have given you the strongest feeling of significance. Determine what significance means to you and find ways to increase it in your daily actions.

When you find your sense of empowerment and worthiness, it helps to illuminate your life’s purpose.

Charity

Volunteering your time, donating goods and money, and spreading the word about a good cause are all effective ways to find a sense of value. It feels terrific to help others; doing so can help you see a larger purpose in life.

Generosity

Generosity of spirit, kindness, and love leads to increased self-love. When you can visibly see your kindness’s effect on other people, it’s easy to see that they value your presence. It’s easier to feel greater love for yourself when so many other people do, too.

Stand out in your field

Being the best at what you do effectively fulfills your need for significance, especially if you love your job. The daily experiences of helping your teammates improve their lives and careers can boost your self-esteem and help you see your impact on other people’s lives.

While there are fun, positive ways to fulfill this need, there are, unfortunately, some people who attempt to achieve a sense of significance using negative, even harmful, methods.

Bully behavior

Some people resort to bullying others to feel important. Others put people down and are snide and condescending. This is an unhealthy, unproductive, and harmful way to try to gain significance.

Spending time with people who don’t try

There are often a few people in every peer group who don’t seem to care about anything. They have no real purpose in life and just seem to float along. Spending time with these people can make you feel more accomplished and better about yourself, but it’s a toxic method of feeling significant that is false and fleeting.

Causing problems

Sometimes, it feels like you’re doing something special when all you’re really doing is causing problems. Trying to lead a situation you have no experience in, picking on teammates, and always trying to outdo your peers are examples of this behavior.

We typically seek out the unhealthiest ways to find significance when the need goes unmet for long periods, such as causing problems, acting petty or condescending, violent behaviors, or self-harm. These unhealthy coping mechanisms can be conscious or unconscious.

Fulfilling this essential human need gives us a clearer view of our purpose because we feel empowered. Feeling valued can give you the power to make positive changes around you and for the people you value.

Clarifying life’s purpose through your need for significance

The way we satisfy our core needs and the impact it has on our daily lives is a fascinating subject. My journey of self-empowerment and the impact I’ve seen it have on others has made me a true believer and enthusiastic advocate of personal transformation and how it changes the direction of your life, from home life and personal connections to work and professional relationships.

Check out my Medium, Twitter, and LinkedIn pages to see what personal transformation can accomplish firsthand and learn more about what it can do for you.