It’s so much fun – flying a kite! If you have, you know the exhiliaration of running through a field working to ensure the wind keeps your kite aloft.
How many of you have watched the first Mary Poppins movie? If yes you probably still sing the following song! Written by Richard and Robert Sherman, here are some of the lyrics:
Oh, oh, oh!
Let's go fly a kite
Up to the highest height!
Let's go fly a kite and send it soaring
Up through the atmosphere
Up where the air is clear
Oh, let's go fly a kite!
Such a great image to keep in our mind’s eye as we kick off 2019! What if we all imagined we are flying kites together? Imagine a sky full of bright rainbow colours kites! Imagine the joy on everyone’s faces – little kids and big kids alike. What an inspirational picture!
Let’s keep this picture in mind as we turn to a serious topic that once discussed will turn our hearts back to the joy we feel when thinking about a sky full of colourful kites!
Remember Mazlow’s Hierarchy of Needs? Well, this triangular model has bugged me for years! And now I know why.
Originally, Mazlow felt that “Self-Actualization” was Mate Acquisition, Parenting, Utilizing Abilities, Utilizing Talents, Pursuing a goal and Seeking Happiness.
In his later years, Abraham Maslow explored a further dimension of Self-Actualization. He felt that one finds the fullest realization in giving oneself to something beyond oneself — for example, in altruism or spirituality. He equated this with the desire to reach the infinite. "Transcendence refers to the very highest and most inclusive or holistic levels of human consciousness, behaving and relating, as ends rather than means, to oneself, to significant others, to human beings in general, to other species, to nature, and to the cosmos."
If Mr. Maslow was alive today, I wonder then if he would agree to the following diagram instead.
What if we were to make our hierarchy of needs into the shape of this kite! I’ve given our Kite a name! “K-Burr’s Kite of Human Essentials (for a Happier Life).” By adding the vibrant colours of the rainbow, it looks magical right? You will see that I have significantly shifted the needs, calling them “Essentials” instead. First and foremost we need a Connection to our Higher Power before everything else in our life can become fun and before we can fully manifest Safety, Self-Esteem, Love and Physical Needs. This has been my experience for many years. Here is the rationale:
Many of my Executive and Life Coaching Clients come with varying degrees of insecurity, depression, anxiety and fear. Use of anti-depressants is epidemic now. They tell me that standard psychological counselling/therapy (which often comes with pharma drugs) has difficulty permanently lifting them out of their unfulfilled life. In my research for the past 20+ years, I noticed that regular conversation is frustrating for these folks because their lives don’t change much. However, when I use Mind-Kinetics® methods to help these types of Clients reconnect to their soul (often called SuperConscious or Godself), their life turns around.
For example, one young man we’ll call Derek, came for Mind-Kinetics sessions to help him out of a serious situation. Having embibed in smoking marihuana he suffered a psychotic attack which instantly threw him into a psychiatric ward for 2 months. The psychiatrist put him on a pharma drug but did not offer emotional/spiritual support and therefore Derek continued to suffer. The attack, his depression (and perhaps the drug) affected his focus and as a result Derek couldn’t watch tv, read a book or do anything that took longer than 10 minutes or so. So we dug in and within 9 sessions, he got his life back. Now he is back at school. Thank God.
In Derek’s case, he was unable to look after his basic Physical Needs, his Love and Self-Love diminished, his Self-Esteem had flown the coop and he certainly didn’t feel Safe in this world. However, when we worked to help him get in touch with his spiritual center, he began to feel Safe. His Self-Esteem returned and as he rose up to Love himself more he could now look after his Physical Needs.
Here’s my point. It is not just folks like Derek who could benefit from flying this type of kite. I know from experience that the average human being will benefit greatly from working to reconnect with their Higher Power first. Once we truly reconnect, everything changes. Life is happier. Maybe that is why Christ and other Masters have said, “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all things shall be added unto you.”
Join me! Let’s all fly our kites together and fill the skies (and our hearts) with rainbows of happiness. Such joy!