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Although it may not be immediately obvious there is a powerful driving force behind the desire to lift weights or to cook amazing meals or even to go surfing.

It’s something inbuilt in us all – a commonality that we can use resourcefully to our benefit and for the greater good of those around us or un-resourcefully to our detriment and potentially to the detriment of those around us.

In todays show I’m discussing one of my favourite frameworks and how you can use to your best body advantage.

Introducing the Tony Robbins framework: The 6 Core Needs.

Whether you’ve heard of this framework, or not, it will be at work in your life.  You’ll be drawn to the activities that satisfy your 6 core needs – even addicted to them – first up let’s cover the needs… 

As I read through these needs a couple will likely appeal more to you than the rest – there is a place for all 6 in your life, however 2 in particular will guide more of the decisions you make.

There is not right or wrong/better or worse with which 2, however to get great results… which in todays show I’m going to make purely applicable to your health there are positive and negative ways to meet each of these needs.

Ok, curious?  Here they are:

1. CERTAINTY.

It is a natural human need to want certainty. At a basic level to have food, shelter and clothing.  At a detrimental level to be completely opposed to any change. You’ll have heard that a persons success will be in direct proportion to the level of change they can handle?  That might paint certainty as purely a negative need, however if you feel strongly compelled by the desire for certainty the most positive, resourceful way to meet that need is to have absolute certainty in yourself.

To know that although change is inevitable, necessary and beyond your control you can and should have certainty in yourself and in your ability to deal with whatever circumstances are thrown your way.

From a smaller actions stand-point certainty is:

=> training at the same time each day.

=> the familiar gym environment you feel comfortable in.

=> the weekly mass cook up you do each Sunday afternoon so you start the week well prepared.

2. VARIETY.

To compliment our need for certainty is uncertainty or variety.

This natural human need can limit your results if you indulge it to the point of program hopping, starting a new diet each week or generally just chasing that next quick fix shiny object.

There are however limitless positive ways to inject variety into your life and into the actions you take to achieve your health goal. For example:

=> mixing up your training methods – perhaps weights, yoga and rock-clmibing and regularly processing each.

=> finding and cooking one new healthy addition to your recipe repertoire once a week.

=> focus on different goals at different times, perhaps first a body composition goal and the plan it requires. Followed by a fitness goal. Then perhaps a strength goal.

3. SIGNIFICANCE.

It’s a natural human need to feel special or important. To be selfishly, obsessed with YOU, to put other down in an attempt to lift yourself up or to judge others harshly based on your own values, achievements and perception of success is un-resourceful significance.

The positive way to embrace your need for significance is to:

=> get awesome at your craft, passion or hobby and share your skills.

=> compete in team sports or individual pursuits… and be a good winner.

=> track the progress you’re making each week in your body composition, your fitness, your strength and celebrate each mini.

4. LOVE & CONNECTION.

To compliment our need for significance is our desire to engage, connect and love. This desire can also be high-lighted by the 3 universal fears which I will cover in depth in a future show.

For now those fears are; To Be Loved. To Be Enough. To Belong. Back to love and connection as a core need it’s a road-block in achieving your potential if you are needy, base your self value only on what others think of you and focus only on chasing love and connection to the exclusion of all else.

The resourceful ways to utilise your natural need for love and connection are:

=> to see staying in great shape as a positive influence you can role model for those you love.

=> to choose exercise that allows you to bond and connect, such as team sports and group training.

=> to make moving more a part of your weekend routine with your family and friends.

5. GROWTH.

It’s been said we’re either growing or dying. I imagine you’ve had a job or even a relationship which did not satisfy your natural need for growth.

It got boring right?  As individuals our tolerance levels will vary however the challenge, learnings and subsequent satisfaction that come with growth need to be accounted for in your approach to your health goal.

Growth and also the 6th core need are more inclined to be positives drivers in your life. The un-resourceful approach is generally just to not make room for them.

Utilise your natural need for growth by… no, NOT by growing wider and rounder, that generally won’t make you feel better, instead:

=> apply the principal of constant and never ending improvement to your training and your exercise.  Make tiny refinements and progressions each and every week and enjoy the compounded results.

6. CONTRIBUTION.

Fulfilment via contribution to others is again generally only a positive driver in your life.

Now here’s where it gets fascinating, think of something that YOU always make time for?

For me it’s weights.  For my mum it’s cooking for others.  For some of my friends it’s surfing.

I’m certain this thing – this non-negotiable in your life – ticks all 6 boxes so far as your 6 core needs… and it ticks them with a high 8. 9. or 10/10 score too.

Those things and people you always make time for that satisfy each of your 6 core needs are called vehicles… and having multiple vehicles is what leads to live a happy and fulfilled life.  Imagine if you only had one vehicle. Maybe surfing… and then something happened and you could no longer surf. Or perhaps your career is your only vehicle… and then you retire or worse, lose your job. You can imagine that would not be a fun space to find yourself in right?

Let’s get back on track with your 6 core needs purely as they apply to your health.

I’ve got 3 questions to apply to what is and also what isn’t currently working for you:

1. Think of the approach to exercise and nutrition that hasn’t worked for you in the past. What went wrong with that approach or more so what was missing from it so far as your 6 core needs?

=> Was there zero variety or maybe way too much? Perhaps you started at an advanced level that shot your significance through the floor?  Maybe you thrive on connection and you attempted to exercise on your own?

2. Now apply the previous learnings to what could work for you in the future.  

For example walking the same boring route each day might only provide certainty.  In contrast…

=> There is certainty in knowing you walk each day Monday through Saturday.

=> There is variety in choosing varied routes, perhaps once a week driving first to a picturesque starting point.

=> There is significance in sticking with it consistently enough to shed some fat, get fitter and enjoy the compliments you receive from your friends and family.

=> There is connection is walking with a friend once a week or chatting to your mum while you walk.

=> There is growth in listening to podcasts or audio books as you walk.

=> I’d be stretching to find a contribution example for walking. Unless perhaps you make it your mission to give as many people as you can a huge smile so genuine and unexpected it’s a bright spark in their day… however you only need 3-4 needs satisfied to compel you to continue.

3. Finally consider the action you consistently take despite the fact you know it isn’t serving your best interests. It’s detrimental to your health and yet you are compelled to do it. Smoking is one example. I’m willing to bet this action you take ticks all 6 boxes with a high score for each.

I’m not going to suggest that giving up something that provides so much to you in terms of core needs is going to be easy to replace. However, a the time when you are looking to give up an action that does not serve you, its vital to seek to replace it with something that can also – yet resourcefully – meet each of your core needs.

As a final consideration:

If you have too much of any one of the core needs you’re going to experience some pain and the solution is to consciously introduce some of it’s opposite number. 

Let’s test drive that idea – if you’re feeling overwhelmed; perhaps at ALL that is involved in eating clean, nourishing food…this is a response to the UNCERTAINTY you feel and the solution is to do something that fulfils your need for CERTAINTY to balance it out.  How about planning 3 easy ‘go to dinners’ that you know are simple to throw together without any thought and are supportive of your fat loss goal?

Time to get actionable:

I imagine you’re doing this out of natural curiosity anyway…out of the 6: Certainty, Variety, Significance, Love / Connection, Growth and Contribution which one are you most drawn to?  

And then, what one are your drawn to next?…again there is no right or wrong – you can make any of them work for you.

Now how can you inject more of those top 2 core needs hat you are compelled to seek out into your approach to eating and exercise?

That’s it for today, I’ll finish with a quote from the man himself, Tony Robbins: “Identify your problems but give your power and energy to solutions.” 

If you liked this you’ll also like: Manipulate Your Addictions And Accelerate Weight Loss.

If you’re yet to share the Healthification love – just click here to zip over to iTunes and leave an honest rating and review. It’d help me out big time. With gratitude, Kate.