Can you envisage a day when you awaken feeling refreshed and confident, ready to cope with most eventualities whilst maintaining good balance in life? There are several identifiable differences between those who cope under pressure and those who don’t.

In actuality, living with pressure and stress may be fine temporarily; it helps us dig deep and deliver more than we thought possible. But continual stress is counter-productive and can ultimately be detrimental. 360 physical symptoms of stress have been documented!

Intermittent symptoms, headaches, sleepless nights, irritability, poor concentration, can be excused due to being busy and overloaded. But if they continue unabated you may need to address how you’re living your life. If not, stress can start to negatively impact and cause problems.

Tips for managing stress;

1. Start as you mean to go on. Keep open conversations with those closest to you. It’s often expected that farmers will ‘man up’, stay strong and get on with it. That may work for a while, but where’s the joy in continually living like that? Talk and share your stresses when you’re needing to offload a little. Others often want to help or may come up with some great unexpected ideas and suggestions.

2. At busy times you may need to be firm, prioritise, say ‘no’ and delegate tasks. Even children can help with smaller tasks or chores. Ask for help and let others be supportive. Don’t expect them to be psychic!

3. Avoid catastrophising problems. Negative thinking can become a habit, but not everything’s about you. When you revise your perspective and start to see issues from other angles they often become less personal and more solvable.

4. Outsource tasks that are outside your area of expertise. Rather than struggle with something new or that you’re unclear about, explain the situation and let someone help you whilst you reciprocate and help them.

If you’ve got several diverse, stressful elements to your farm business, like maybe running a B&B, farm shop or market garden, could you manage stress by hiring professionals to do your accounts or advertising, so enabling you to utilise your time more effectively? Sometimes it’s worth paying for occasional domestic help too so that you return to a comfortable home after work.

5. Turn off technology each evening, unless there’s an ongoing emergency situation. Give yourself a break, a time when you switch off and invest your attention in your real relationships.

6. Ensure you have pleasant family time, perhaps a weekly meal together. If you work with family it’s especially important not to lose sight of each other as individuals, with separate personalities, opinions and lives. Show a genuine interest in each other, maintain mutual respect and follow-up on conversations.

7. Sharing fun together is important. Maybe plan a walk, game of football, time for playing together and have valuable time connecting properly with family and friends.

8. Pause and be kind to yourself, even if your efforts don’t deliver immediate tangible success. Genuinely acknowledge and appreciate your own efforts. Be generous with others too and help them manage stress, making everyone’s lives a little easier. Working on the land is hard enough and can be exceptionally unforgiving.

9. Invest in good quality sleep especially during busy seasons. Aim to wind down, relax a little and allow time to de-stress. Learn to say ‘no’ and avoid taking on other commitments if you’re already full-on and needing to focus on existing demands.

And if you find you need to temporarily reduce your working hours or responsibilities due to overwork, injury or burn out, aim to be gentle with yourself. Take life a day at a time, review future options when you’re ready and take the stress out of stress.

Before seeking to become a leader, take the time to be objectively introspective, so you know, realize and understand your reasons and rationale, for wanting to serve, and to lead! Meaningful leadership must focus on priorities, needs, and addressing perceptions of one’s constituents, while proceeding, with a vital, vibrant vision, which propels one’s leading, and garners support, followers, and additional commitment, which makes a world of difference! This article, therefore, will attempt to examine this issue, using the mnemonic approach, and discuss the all – important concept, of NEEDS – BASED leadership.

1. Never say No: If you hope to become a true, meaningful leader, you must maintain a positive approach, seeking solutions, rather than negativity, etc. Great leaders realize, they must never say, No, to progress, and overcoming obstacles, and permitting challenges to inspire them, to discover viable solutions!

2. Empathy: How can you ever expect to lead, until/ unless, you begin by listening, paying attention, addressing needs, concerns, and priorities, and planning strategies and action plans, focused on empathy?

3. Excellence; endurance: At some point, those in positions of leadership, must decide and determine, which path, they choose to take. Will they take the easiest, least controversial approach, or consistently proceed, focusing on the utmost degree of excellence? Will you continue forward, despite obstacles and distractions, or proceed, with relevant endurance?

4. Delve deeply; dreams: How will you make your personal dreams, align with those of your constituents? This means, delving deeply, into priorities, needs and concerns, and doing something, relevant about them!

5. Strengthen: In the end result, the quality of one’s leadership, must be measured, by whether or not, it strengthens the organization, and its relevance, etc!

6. Benefits – based; bring together: The quality and relevance of one’s leadership, should be measured and based on whether it focuses on benefits, to the group and stakeholder. Great leaders must emphasize unifying others, for the common good, and do all they can, to bring people together!

7. Attitude; attention; astute: Nothing relevant happens, until/ unless, a leader maintains a true, consistent, positive, can – do, attitude! He must have meaningful focus, and pay keen attention, to what is the best way to proceed. He must refine his skills, so he can perform, as the astute leader, his organization needs, and deserves!

8. Sustainable system: When you become a leader, it’s important to realize, you will be rated, based on how you, not only handle and address current issues and challenges, but whether you choose to take the easy path of using a band – aid, or consider needs, and ramifications, and create, develop and implement a relevant, quality, sustainable system!

9. Enlighten; enrich: Will you tell others what they need to know and understand, or take the populist – approach, and merely tell them what they want to hear? A great leader does all he can, to enlighten those he serves, and articulates a positive, relevant message, which, hopefully enriches, both, the group, as well as the constituents!

10. Deliver: Always under – promise, and over – deliver! Doing so, lets you become the best leader, you can possibly be.

NEEDS – BASED leadership is an essential component of proceeding, as the best – possible leader! Are you up to the task and commitment?

CFO services can take your business to the next level, helping you achieve your goals much sooner. While larger corporations may be able to afford a full-time CFO and accounting team, small businesses have to allocate their budget wisely. Your organization can benefit from years of experience and financial expertise without having to commit your resources to a full-time CFO.

If you are looking for advice or guidance for your business or you need help getting through a crisis period, an outsourced CFO might be your answer. Keep reading for 11 reasons why you should hire part-time CFO services.

1. Part-time CFOs are more cost efficient.

With outsourced CFO services, you only pay for the services you need. You can budget your CFO services exactly because you pay by the hour. Your business likely does not require the same level of support every month. Your part-time CFO works and bills you when you need advice or assistance. If you do not need as much support one month, you do not have to pay.

In addition to the savings of a full-time salary, you also do not have to provide benefits or other incentives. Your part-time CFO does not get paid a bonus by your company, and you do not have to provide extra perks to retain an employee. You can also save yourself the time and headache of hiring a new employee if you contact a business that provides such services.

2. They provide budgeting advice and mentoring.

Small business owners or entrepreneurs are experts in their field, and that field might not be accounting. You can ensure your business is financially solid by trusting a part-time CFO with your budgeting needs. Such services can help maintain your budget and keep you updated on every aspect of the financials for your business.

Your part-time CFO can also provide mentoring for you and your team. Whether you need help training your own financial team or you just want to learn the ropes for yourself, you can contract CFO services to help.

3. You will receive strategic analysis.

A CFO can do so much more than help with the finances for your company. Your part-time resource can assist with goal setting and strategy development, creating milestones for financial goals and non-financial goals alike. The strategic analysis, such as risks or threats, provided by such services can be essential for your business, setting you apart from the competition.

4. Their advice and guidance is easy to understand.

You do not have to be a financial expert to understand your CFO. While full-time CFOs tend to get bogged down in industry and company jargon, a part-time CFO serves a wider range of clients. They are used to providing analyses and explanations in a language that everyone on your team can understand. Not only can such an individual communicate directly with you, they can also provide crucial information for your investors, stakeholders, and team.

5. Outsourced CFOs have a wider range of experience.

Your part-time CFO is constantly learning and growing their own set of skills. They are likely working with multiple companies across various industries while serving your business. This wide range of experience can greatly benefit your organization as your outsourced CFO shares insights into what makes other organizations successful.

6. You can receive crisis management support.

Nobody wants to think about their business experiencing a time of crisis, but major losses or setbacks do happen. Instead of panicking during that time, you can trust your business with an experienced CFO. Your outsourced CFO can help guide you through the difficult period, providing advice and suggestions to help cut costs, improve cashflow, rework budgets, and raise funds. With a part-time CFO, you will not have to spend your precious resources on a full-time employee during a stormy season.

7. Part-time CFOs can establish reporting systems.

Whether you utilize the services of a part-time CFO for an ongoing basis or a limited period of time, they can help establish reporting systems that you can use for years to come. They have access to the top financial and reporting systems and can help determine which metrics and tools work best for your organization.

Your CFO can provide insight into managing your business’ financials and communicating your metrics to key stakeholders. They can also guide your team, helping them create the best reports for your organization. Utilizing a part-time CFO for even a short period can provide lasting benefits for your bottom line.

8. They provide sound advice for business leaders.

Sometimes you just need a sounding board. Whether you are a seasoned pro or starting your first business, it can be stressful work. Entrepreneurs and business leaders are under immense pressure and often feel alone with the burdens they carry. Your part-time CFO is able to serve as a sounding board, mentor, or personal advisor. With their years of experience they can provide valuable insight into the road ahead and act as an outside set of eyes.

9. You can increase your business network.

Your outsourced CFO has worked with many clients and served various industries throughout their career. Along the way, they have likely picked up some impressive contacts, building a network or professionals and business leaders. Your part-time CFO can help connect you to the right people, providing support for every aspect of your business. They can also lean on the assistance of other CFOs if you are facing a unique challenge or something outside of their experience.

10. Part-time CFO services are flexible.

With CFO services, you are not entering a long-term commitment. You have the flexibility to decide when you need assistance and what type of support you want for your business. The role and functions of your part-time CFO are entirely within your control, and you can alter them if needed. As your business grows, your needs are likely to change as well, and your outsourced CFO can meet those changes with you.

11. You can focus on your business.

If financials are not your thing, your part-time CFO can free up your time to focus on what you do best. Instead of spending countless hours trying to attain a certain level of financial knowledge, you can trust an experienced CFO. You can also decide which roles your part-time CFO takes on, including meeting with investors, managing stakeholder relations, and providing training for your team. With a more open schedule, you can keep your focus on growing your business.

Poverty is one of the most pervasive conditions associated with children with special needs. Already generally recognized as one of leading factors correlated with a huge number of social issues, poverty is in some ways an umbrella so large that it leads to ask whether it is a cause or an effect. As it relates to the topic, however, we can say definitively that poverty is an adequate way to summarize the existence of a huge number of contributing factors that make a family less likely to be able to adequately support a child with special needs.

Poverty as a Causal Factor

Poverty — the lack of adequate money — on the part of the parent(s) can directly contribute to the birth of a special needs child through a huge number of direct physical stressors, including (but not limited to):

• Poor Nutrition: An inadequately-fed fetus is likely to be born prematurely or at a low birth weight, both of which are definitively correlated with special-needs diagnoses.

• Neglect: Poor parents are significantly more likely to neglect their children simply as a matter of necessity, leaving them alone or with inadequate care so that they can pursue opportunities to pay the bills.

• Abuse: Poor parents are also significantly more likely to actively abuse their infants, being unable to cope with the stress of caring for a child while struggling with money and/or being addicted to mood- or mind-altering drugs that cause them to act abusively.

• Exposure: Obviously, homelessness or inadequate shelter is much more commonplace for poor parents, both of which can cause developmental problems in infants.

• Disease: Inadequate healthcare is one of the hallmarks of modern poverty; a child of poor parents is significantly more likely to have the earliest signs of a disease go unrecognized — or recognized and untreated — until the opportunity for prevention has passed.

In short, families that suffer from chronic poverty are significantly more likely to have children with special needs — and are also the least likely to be able to stand up to the stress of raising a child with special needs.

Single Parentage, Poverty, and Special Needs

A significant 8% of children born to two-parent families live at or below the Federal poverty level. That statistic alone is grim enough — but it’s important to note that over the past few decades, the percentage of children born to unwed mothers has skyrocketed to 38%, and a massive 32% of single-parent children live below the poverty line. That averages out to 22% of all American children being ‘born poor’ — and thus, at a significantly higher risk of being born with special needs, as described above.

In short, if we intend to seek out a policy solution to the increasing number of special needs children overwhelming our schools, there is an obvious area to begin: with the elimination of poverty. Recent efforts in Utah as well as significant number of experiments a few decades ago across Canada and the US have shown that we have the resources we need to do so — just not the political will.

The Costs of Special Needs Children

According to a report entitled Expensive Children in Poor Families, of 2,000 interviewed families accepting welfare:

• 45% reported that they had spent out-of-pocket money for specialized clothes, foods, transportation, medicine, healthcare, or child care for their child(ren). The average cost for families reporting such costs: $143 in the previous month. These children weren’t necessarily considered to have special needs, but the families did specify “specialized” goods or services, implying that the generic offers weren’t appropriate for their children.

• The average family supporting at least one moderately-or-severely disabled child had to spend enough time and effort supporting the child that they lost out on an average of $80 of working opportunity each month.

• Unless a family received SSI disability benefits for their child, out-of-pocket expenses that would otherwise have been covered by SSI reduced the family’s total effective income such that 12% of families that would otherwise have been considered OK were driven below the poverty level.

The Effects of Special Needs Children on Public Assistance

While public assistance exists that is specifically targeted toward the families of children with special needs, this section deals only with non-targeted public assistance of the kind that is generally available to families without such children. The same report found that:

• Families were more likely to receive assistance if they had a child with special needs, and

• That likelihood increased with each additional special-needs child, and

• Also increased with the severity of the disability each child dealt with.

In other words, precisely like one might intuitively predict, the more challenging a given set of children is to deal with in terms of medical or social need, the more likely it is that the family supporting that child will be receiving non-targeted public assistance. Or, written more succinctly, having children with special needs causes families to qualify for and seek out public assistance.

Furthermore, the study found that there were only two significant fates for families of children with special needs who went on welfare: they either left welfare but began receiving SSI disability, or they stayed on welfare. The effect of having a severely disabled child was equivalent in public-assistance dependence twice as strong as the effect of the family losing one parent — implying that the cost of a severely disabled child is greater than the income accrued by one parent by a significant amount.

We’ve seen now how poverty is a significant cause of special needs in children born into poverty families, and how having one or more children with special needs causes families to descend into poverty. The vicious cycle here should be immediately apparent: being poor makes it more likely that you’ll have a child with special needs, which in turn makes it more likely that you’ll remain poor for the foreseeable future. This is a problem in desperate need of a solution.

According to a study published in the Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine, more than half a million children with special needs turn 18 every year. Turning 18, however, doesn’t mean the conditions which gave these children the “special needs” label are suddenly gone; in truth, most such new adults are going to require as much or more ongoing intervention in order to navigate an ever-increasingly-complex world.

Lost in the Shuffle

The most significant obstacle for children with special needs as they ‘age out’ of pediatric care programs designed to help them effectively utilize the resources of public schooling is that their need for care doesn’t decrease — but the resources available for care do. Most of the funding that supports children with special needs comes from a single law: the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA. That Act only provides resources for people up to 20 or 21 years of age (depending on the state law that distributes the funds.)

Not Just the Extreme Cases

This is compounded by the fact that, as a culture, Americans are firmly attached to the notion of personal responsibility. Once you’re an adult, you’re expected to be able to deal with the ‘minor stuff’ on your own. If you’re not quote-unquote “legitimately” disabled — if you have, for example, “mere” ADHD or a high-functioning autism-spectrum disorder like Asperger’s Syndrome — you’re not supposed to need any help anymore. As any parent of a child with special needs can tell you, that’s a ridiculous assumption.

More Than You Think

If half of a million children doesn’t seem like that big of a number to you, consider that only 3.3 million kids graduated from high school in 2014 — and the dropout rate was only 7% overall, meaning we’re looking just over 3.5 million kids turning 18 total. That half-million, then, represents about 1 out of every 7 children. That’s a huge proportion of our population that we’re essentially dropping the ball on as they age out of the single program that has made their care possible for the last 12 years of their lives.

What Comes Next?

Unfortunately, the next step isn’t a well-defined one. For some no-longer-children with special needs, it consists largely of continuing to live with their parents and struggling to find a job or a form of continuing education that will adapt itself to their needs. According to study published in the Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, two years after graduating from high school, 50% of new adults diagnosed with an autism-spectrum disorder still hadn’t successfully obtained any paid work experience or secondary education. Studies on other forms of special-needs individual are hard to come by, unfortunately.

One thing is certain: dealing with the half-million new special-needs adults entering our population every year is a challenge we’re all going to have to face — and soon. The option of ignoring the problem simply doesn’t reasonably exist.

If you’re a Christian wife who wants to experience a happier, healthier marriage, then this step holds the keys you need if you want to forgive your husband.

First of all, forgiving your husband does not excuse what he did or said to you. And to be honest, forgiveness is only the first step. Depending on the severity of the offense, this will determine the other steps you’ll need to take.

But the key to bringing reconciliation and renewing the love in your marriage begins with you making the decision to forgive your husband.

The Main Idea Here Is: Praying Words of Life

When you pray words of life, instead of words of death, hate, and resentment towards your husband, it softens your heart and gives both you and your marriage the chance to heal. Praying words of forgiveness disarm the hate, bitterness, and unforgiveness that had been brewing in your heart. And it begins to lay a foundation of God’s love towards that person so you can work towards reconciliation.

What you need to know about this is:

• Understand that forgiveness is for you just as much, if not more than for your husband.
• Forgiveness clears the pathway for healing your marriage.
• Forgiveness is not the same as trust.

You can begin the path of forgiveness through your words, and you will use your words by faith, not by how you feel. If you wait to feel like forgiving, you may never do it. But if you do it by faith, you release your words of life and then trust God to do the rest.

That means if you forgive your husband through prayer then the next time you need to forgive him, it will be easier.

Your ability to forgive is key for every Christian wife because if you don’t forgive then you continue to remain bitter and resentful. As a result, this creates a spirit of divorce, (whether you go through it or not), and it opens the door for the enemy to create even more havoc in your marriage.

So now you need to start praying for your husband so you can begin to forgive him and heal your marriage.

One more thing before I forget. Did you realize that if you’re a Christian wife who is serious about forgiving your husband, there is help?

This 7-day interactive video series with prayers will help to guide you through your prayer journey towards forgiving your husband. This “7-Day Prayer Journey” helps you experience a happier, healthier marriage and more! Check it out: www.RelationshipPrayers.com.

Dental bridges, as the name connotes, bridge the gap between missing teeth. They consist of two or more crowns for teeth on one or the other side of the gap; the abutment teeth, which are the anchoring teeth; and false tooth/teeth in between them. Pontics as these false teeth are called, can come in gold, porcelain, alloy or a mixture of these materials. Implants or natural teeth hold these devices.

The Process of Getting a Dental Bridge

On the first visit to get such a device, the dentist makes ready the abutment teeth. He recontours these teeth by filing part of the enamel to provide space for a crown to be placed above them. He then makes impressions of the teeth to serve as a mold that will be used by the dental lab to make the bridge, crowns and pontic. In the meantime, he will create a temporary bridge to protect teeth and gums that are exposed during the time the final version is being made.

On the second visit, the dentist will remove the temporary version and will place the new metal/porcelain bridge, which will be examined and adjusted as needed to make it fit properly. This may require multiple visits in order for the bite and fit of the metal framework to be checked. This actually depends on every patient’s case. If it is a fixed dental bridge, the dentist may put temporary cement on it for a few weeks to ensure proper fit. Then, after another few weeks, the device is permanently cemented.

The Cost of Dental Bridges

When it comes to this type of devices, the costs involved depend on the type of bridge chosen and the part of the country where the procedure is carried out.

The Longevity of Dental Bridges

These devices can be used from five to fifteen years and at times, even longer. It is expected to have a life span of more than 10 years when the patient practices good oral hygiene and regular dental visits.

Eating with a Dental Bridge

When missing teeth are replaced with a dental bridge, it makes eating a lot easier. However, if the person is not yet used to wearing the device, it would help to eat small pieces of soft foods.

Speaking with a Dental Bridge

It is hard to speak clearly with missing teeth. On the other hand, using a dental bridge with the anterior teeth in proper connection enables the person to speak more clearly.

Caring for a Dental Bridge

It is critical for remaining teeth to stay healthy and strong since the outcome of the bridge (based on the type chosen) relies on the foundation that the surrounding teeth provides. Practicing good oral care that includes brushing twice daily, flossing and using a mouthwash everyday prevents tooth decay as well as gum disease than can cause tooth loss.

It would help to ask a dentist/dental hygienist for advice on proper brushing and flossing. Regular cleaning will enable the dentist to diagnose problems right from the start, when it is easier to treat. It is also important to choose a well balanced diet to have proper nutrition.

When I was out the other day I saw a paper bag that said something like, ‘the world needs more love.’ This is something that is hard to deny, considering how much suffering and destruction there is.

One only needs to watch the news or to pick up a paper to hear about something negative that is taking place. What plays a part in this, of course, is that is that these sources have the tendency to focus on the bad things that are taking place and to overlook the good things.

More to It

Nonetheless, although it would be easy to say that this is only something that these sources do, it is something that is part of human nature. It is normal for the mind to focus on what is going wrong and to ignore what is going right.

In a way, it is as if the mind is designed to look for problems. Yet, even if it is designed this way, it doesn’t mean that it can’t be trained to be less one sided and thereby, more balanced.

Back to the Main Point

So if the world needs more love, it can seem as though the best approach would be for someone to do what they can to give more love to the world. A big part of this is going to be for them to what they can do make sure they don’t do anything that is motivated by hate.

When it comes to giving more love to the world, there can be the small things and the big things that they can do. If one believed that it is was purely about big gestures, they could wonder if they had anything to offer.

One Step at a Time

The key will be for them to focus on the small things that they can do to add more love to the world. This could involve holding doors open for people, saying hello and smiling, and saying thank you after someone has assisted them.

And if another person talks to them about something, they could take the time to listen to them and to be present. What each of these things can do is to allow another person to feel seen and even heard.

Pushing the Boat out

Another option would be for them to train to become a nurse or a charity worker, for instance, with this being a way for them to serve their fellow human beings. Giving money to a charity or investing in a business that wants to serve humanity can be another option, that’s if they have the means to do so.

There is also going to be the things that they can do for their friends and family. Being present when they are around them and being supportive is going to benefit them, and this can give these people the need to spread the good vibes to others.

Multiplied Love

Therefore, not only will one be having a positive effect on the people who they cross paths with, their behaviour will have an effect on how these people treat others. Ultimately, it is not possible for one to know what kind of impact their behaviour will have on another person’s life.

Still, if they do what they can be kind to another, it is far more likely to have a positive effect on this person’s life than if they were to be unkind to them. This way, one will be able to walk away from an interaction knowing that they did the right thing, even if they are unsure as to what kind of impact they had on their life.

The Missing Ingredient

Having said this, while it is hard to deny that the world needs more love, this doesn’t mean that someone needs to solely focus on giving more love. The reason for this is that unless one loves themselves, it is going to be a challenge to behave in a loving manner.

Now, this is not to say that they won’t be able to play the role of being a loving person; what it means is that this will be nothing more than an act. Behaving in this way will be something that takes a lot of effort as opposed to something that happens naturally.

The Other Way

If, on the other hand, one did what they needed to do to connect to their own heart and to feel comfortable in their own skin, there would be no reason for them to behave in a hateful manner or to cause harm to others. They would be connected to the love that is within them and this would allow them to behave in a loving manner.

Behaving in this way won’t take much effort, either, as it will be no different to how they treat themselves. Also, if they didn’t feel comfortable in their own skin, they could treat themselves like dirt even though they treat other people well.

An Essential Part

It is relatively easy for one to create a false-self that allows them to come across as a loving person; whereas doing the inner work to that will enable one to experience self-love and thus, to behave in this way naturally, can take a fair amount of time and effort. And if someone doesn’t love themselves and doesn’t play a role, it can be normal for them to behave in a hateful manner.

Due to how much pain they are in, they will need to harm others in order to feel better about themselves. The toxicity that is within them is then going to be spread wherever they go, and this will cause them to do a lot of damage.

Final Thoughts

If someone wants to contribute more love to the world, becoming more loving to themselves will be a great way to do it. As the love within them builds, they will have more of it to give to the people that they come into contact with.

For this to take place, one may need to reach out for the support of a therapist or a healer. Someone like this will allow them to work through the layers of pain that are preventing them from being able to feel comfortable in their own skin.

In 1943, American psychologist Abraham Maslow published a paper called A Theory of Human Motivation. In this paper, Maslow contended that human beings are motivated to fulfill basic needs and once those needs are met, they seek to satisfy successfully higher needs in a set of progressive hierarchies. It was previously believed that humans were only motivated to seek physiological needs such as warmth, shelter, food, water and sex, or in other words, the “animal needs” of the person. Maslow, however, contended that mere physiological needs were not enough to motivate a person completely as a conscious individual. Maslow contended that an individual’s biological and safety needs represented only the basic underlying level of needs and that there were additional needs that the individual was motivated to pursue during the course of their lives. This was described by Maslow as the Hierarchy of Needs, also known as Maslow’s Hierarchy.

The Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

The theory behind Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is that there are five motivating layers of progressive needs that drive human behavior. Biological needs, such as the need for food and water, are at the bottom, because as we know, if we don’t drink water, we will die. But once we meet all those biological needs, then it no longer becomes a driving force in our lives, and we rise up to a new layer of needs which we are motivated towards. Imagine a pyramid with five different layers. For the sake of this article, let’s reference the bottom layer as layer #1 and the top of the pyramid as layer #5.

Layer #1 – Physiological Needs

Physiological needs consist of the basic nutrients needed to support the biological existence of that individual as an organism. These include the need for oxygen, food and water, elimination of bodily waste, sleep, and body temperature. Arguably, the need for sex is also a physiological need in this category. Physiological needs represent the foundation of the hierarchy from which all other layers are built upon. Anytime when one of these physiological needs are threatened, all other needs will be inconsequential and the physiological needs will take priority.

Layer #2 – Safety Needs

The second layer of the hierarchy is the need for safety and security. In order for this need to be fulfilled, a person needs to experience a sense of security in their lives and to live without fear. In the caveman days, this usually meant having a nice secure cave-dwelling that would protect him and his clan from the harsh environment, as well as other predatory animals and human enemies. Safety and security needs can include physical safety from violence, security of employment, financial security, security of good health and security of family.

Layer #3 – Love & Belonging Needs

Belonging needs require that the person feel that they belong to a particular group, association, club, or team and that they are loved and shown affection by persons of their choosing. People have a need to be accepted and to belong in the groups that they associate with. These can be work groups, family groups, clubs, religious groups and even gangs. All people have a need to feel loved both sexually and non-sexually by other people and to be genuinely accepted by them. When these social needs are not met, people are susceptible to loneliness and depression as a result.

Layer #4 – (Status) Esteem Needs

Esteem or status needs is having a need to be respected by others and to have respect for themselves. In order to gain recognition for themselves and to be respected by other people, included ourselves, we pursue activities, hobbies, and professional careers which give us a sense of self-value and also becomes an avenue to compare ourselves with others. Confidence, competence, and achievement fall under esteem needs. Lower-level esteem needs are fame, respect, and glory, but these are dependent upon other people to achieve and therefore are considered inferior to self-esteem, which is dependent only on the individual.

Layer #5 – Self-Actualization

Self-actualization is realizing the potential of being the best that you can be in life. Self-actualizing people have a more efficient perception of reality. They have a superior ability to reason efficiently and logically. The self-actualizing person accepts themselves and the world that they live in as they are. They are able to enjoy themselves without regret, shame or apology, and do not have any unnecessary inhibitions. They are also spontaneous and motivated towards continual growth. They are promoted to a higher sense of duty. They are also able to be alone without being lonely. They are responsible for themselves and own their own behavior. The self-actualizing person has a fresh perspective and appreciation of all people as being basically good in life. Culture or stereotype associations with people do not taint them. They are also able to experience powerful feelings of unlimited horizons. They are able to see that they are both helpless and small in the world and also more powerful than anything physical on this world. The self-actualizing person develops an affection with the good, the bad and the ugly. The truth is clear to the self-actualizing person where others cannot see it.

© Copyright 2006 by Tristan Loo.

You may have been illegally charged with a crime you didn’t comment, possibly even forced to take a ride “downtown” and spend a few days in the slammer. But you weren’t guilty and none of the facts say you were.

Hire an appellate attorney!

As small as the problem may seem, when you’re out and not looking back, if you were charged – you should know your rights. Those rights include an opportunity to appeal if you were wrongfully charged and did any time, or paid the fine, knowing you didn’t do anything wrong.

Ask for help.

There’s nothing wrong with seeking an attorney to plead your case, or asking for an appellate attorney to oversee your case. Perhaps, you’ve already had your case settled and it doesn’t look as good as you believe it should? Call an appellate attorney to get a better review of what your rights should be.

You need to follow through.

Your life may depend on it. If you have a record, it shows up. If your record shows up and it shouldn’t even be a record, you’ll want to get that fixed right away. Call an appellate attorney and solve that problem.

For instance:

When you live in Colorado and need to rent an apartment, your landlord does a criminal background check. If there’s anything in your record that shows up, including any judgments against you in court, you might not be able to rent a home. Those judgments would need to be removed by asking that they be appealed, and dismissed in the appellate court. Only a Colorado Appellate Attorney can do that.

Other states have similar laws, so while this may not be specifically tied to Colorado, there’s the boundary of my knowledge on this particular issue. I know about the laws in Colorado.

Fundamental law will get you through the hoops, if you’ve got a good attorney. But if you’re working with a second rate attorney and they mess you up. You’ll need someone who can fix you. The best thing you can do then is hire the top shelf, best attorney you can get to fix your problems. That means hiring the Barrister’s Best Appellate Attorney.

If you lost it in the lower courts, you’ll need confidence in the next level. So, don’t short change yourself and hire a numb nuts, fool in the chair, appellate kinda guy who won’t do his best for you.

Hire the BEST you can afford.

So, now that I’ve told you that, I’m going to share my story:

I’m out here working every day, busting my chops for a living. And I’m barely making ends meet. And then along comes this person that rattles my cage and convinces me that I can retire in bliss, if I do this one thing. All I have to do it write reviews of businesses and post them on my blog. Well, I do that, and I write some killer reviews of businesses I know about, but I forget to ask her how I get paid.

Time passes and I figure out how to get paid. She’d told me but I wasn’t listening. Then I got on her blog and she literally walked me through every single step of the process. From writing the review to sending it to the company asking for their “blessing” and getting paid to post their review on my blog. It was a really cool deal, and several of those companies paid me something to sponsor their blog post. A few hundred dollars here and there were pretty good. So, I started working up a client list and I’d go back to the originals and ask for more money for another review.

Then, I’m sitting in the Ford dealership and the lady walks in. She’s got the key to a brand spanking new RED Ford Truck in one hand, and the paperwork for a “give away” Ford Truck that she’s showcasing in her other hand.

What the heck?

So, I watched her. I waved at her. Then when the salesman went to get the rest of the paperwork, I walked up and asked what she was doing with the truck. She said, “I’m giving it away on my website.”

The deal is, she got paid a Red Ford Truck to advertise for this Ford dealership, and they gave her a second truck to give away – just like hers. All this for ads.

I saw the price of that truck. They paid her $47K for ads that year, plus they gave away another truck – same value.

That’s one heck of a traffic driving machine right there in those tight fittin’ jeans. And she didn’t even add any extra sway when she walked away!

Now, I figure if she can do it, I can do it right?

Well, I hiked up my britches, and smoothed the shirt over my beer gut into my belted khakis, and told the dealer, “I want a deal like that!”

Next thing I knew, I was wearing handcuffs, and talking to my attorney because the dealer thought I was trying to buy my some love.

I guess, there’s one thing my mama taught me. She told me if you’re in a hole stop diggin’ and shut the heck up, cuz you ain’t talkin’ your way out of a hole.

The numb nuts attorney wasn’t getting me out of trouble, so I waited until I could appeal my case.