Using the Hierarchy of Needs with color status to self-evaluate

I remember having a long conversation with my son Levi back in March 2019. The day I spoke with Levi, he told me that his behavior status was yellow because he was talking when he was not supposed to. I said to my son that it is okay to have yellow status days, but to always stay on the green as best he can, but never go on red. Levi stated there also an orange rank. As far as performance, the four colors of green, yellow, orange and red indicate the behavior of all of the children at Levi's school. Teachers use this method to easily show the children their demeanor in the classroom. Green is good, yellow is caution, and orange and red are disturbing enough for parents to get involved.

I self-evaluated myself, and I realized that in my adult life there are personal and professional matters that I need to work on. There are aspects of my life that my status is green, nevertheless, I have yellow status days. With small adjustments, I can get back to green on my own. There are things that I struggle with that are considered orange and red that I need the assistance of someone more proficient than me to get to the green status. Self-awareness of your strengths and weaknesses is key to growth. 

A few weeks ago I learned about Self-Actualization and Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Maslow's theory indicates five needs have to be met for any human being to reach their full potential. The five requirements from the bottom to the top are physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. Fulfilling the need for self-actualization requires achieving the other needs below it.

There are some questions anyone can ask themselves regarding these needs. Are you eating healthy? Are you eating at all? Are you getting enough sleep? When was the last time you went on a date? Do you get excited when you go to work or upset? Are you financially stable enough to purchase a home? Do you love or hate yourself? Does the opinion of others discourage you? Do you continue to feel guilty about the mistakes you made a long time ago or do you let it go? Do you have a friend or family member that you can talk to when you have bad days? Can you love again after a bitter divorce? Are you optimistic about finding love? Do you feel there is a lack of decent men or women to date based on past failures?

Anyone can self-evaluate using the combination of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, and color status used by the teachers at Levi's school. The idea is to get a sober estimation of yourself, then use what you find to either fix any issues yourself or get help if you need it. If you lack the expertise to solve any issue you have, it is okay to get help. One last thing, don't look at your self-evaluation to only find issues about yourself. If you lack wealth but have basic needs of food and shelter met, with meaningful relationships you are more blessed then many people in this world. That is my two cents for the night. We have three more working days before Thanksgiving. Enjoy your week.