Significance is the third human need. We all have a need to feel important, that in some way we matter. If we don’t meet this need we may feel empty inside.
To me, knowing I am making a positive difference in peoples lives, feeds my need for significance. Everyone has different ways to meet that need. It may be what is in your bank account, the house you live in, kind of car you drive. You may receive it through career/academic activities and accomplishments. I receive significance from those things as well. However, I have found that material possessions, although nice, have lost their ability to fuel my need for significance over the years.
Knowing what makes you feel significant is important. An equally important question, is how are you helping others have that feeling of significance? When was the last time you told a loved one how important they are in your life? What actions do you take to show the people around you that they are important to you? How would you increase your ability to have the people around you feel even more significant? Would it be the frequency of letting them know, the intensity when you let them know or maybe the variety of ways you show them?
One thing is certain, when you help someone else feel significant it will come back to you. Call it what you will, the universe will always return what you give. It always feels good to help other people feel good.
