Twelve-year-old Alyssa is a very precocious and unique child. She learned how to read at the age of four and was into Shakespeare by the time she was seven. Academically, she excels and is currently top one in her gifted students’ class. Because she is the best, she is always sent to student competitions. Alyssa is also musically inclined and plays various instruments such as the piano, violin and the flute. She is in the local orchestra and performs with them in concerts. In addition she ballets, tap dances, acts and sings and naturally is a member of the village theater group. She is physically very agile and outruns all the boys in her class. In fact she represents her school in triathlons. One would think that because of all the things that Alyssa does, she would feel pressured and miserable. In reality though, she feels the opposite. She is bubbly, happy and very positive. When people ask her what her secret is, she tells them that her genes may have given her skills and talents but her happiness and positive thinking is all because of Abraham Maslow and his hierarchy of needs.

So who is Maslow and what is this needs hierarchy? Abraham Maslow was a psychologist who created a series of human needs that according to him had to be accomplished by people in order for them to reach self-actualization. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is depicted as a five-leveled pyramid. The lowest levels of the pyramid are the most basic needs while the top holds the more complex needs. The hierarchy means that people must fulfill the basic needs before they move up to the other ones.

• Physiological needs are requirements for human survival—water, sleep, food, clothing and shelter. These biological needs are the strongest and the most basic because humans will cease to function without them.

• Safety needs, such as personal and financial security, health and well-being and safety against accidents/illnesses, are not as demanding as physiological needs, but are still quintessential for survival.

• Social needs are the psychological aspect of Maslow’s hierarchy. The need for belongingness and acceptance is an important element of human life. Loneliness, anxiety and depression may result from the absence of social needs such as friendship, intimacy and a supportive family.

• The need for esteem represents man’s need to belong. This and self-respect are the reasons why people need to gain recognition and engage in activities that would give them a sense of contribution. Inferiority complex and depression will result if this need is not addressed.

• The need for self-actualization is the highest level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Self-awareness, concern for personal growth, fulfillment of potential and disregarding criticisms from others belong to this level.

Again, according to Maslow’s hierarchy of Needs, individuals must satisfy the lower level of needs before they can reach self-actualization. That is, man can only attain his full potential if he has balanced his physiological, safety, social, and esteem needs. Growth can only be achieved if these are met in the right environment. Considering how Alyssa is such a happy individual despite the pressures in her life, she must have met most if not all of her human needs!

I walked in on Dino doing the craziest thing I have ever seen—saying HI to the sun! When Dino caught me staring at him aghast, he blurted out, “What? This is my self-esteem activity for the day!”

I would have thought Dino was just getting in touch with his schizophrenic tendencies. But when Dino began explaining to me about his so-called self esteem activities, I began to think that maybe I am the one with schizophrenic tendencies for not knowing about them. According to Dino, self esteem activities are simple activities that help individuals build self-esteem in just an hour a day. They help reaffirm one’s worth and increase self-confidence. Here are a few daily activities Dino sneaks in his everyday schedule to help him boost his self-esteem:

• Write down five things you’re good at and tack it on the ceiling. Give at least five minutes to read the words before starting the day.

• Keep a thought for a day calendar – you get a mouthful of uplifting messages along with your daily dosage of caffeine.

• Have an inspirational or self-help book handy in your bag or car when you go nuts over waiting in line, traffic, or being in an elevator.

• Be a singing sensation—in the bathroom! Choose a song that describes what you want in life and belt it out in the shower. This releases endorphins and helps in blood circulation.

• Set aside an hour during the weekends to accomplish small tasks such as planting flowers.

• Make your bathroom mirror a collage of affirmations! So every time you brush your teeth, you can look in the mirror and repeat three things you like about yourself!

• Capture moments and preserve them for a lifetime by keeping a journal.

• Smile—it’s not as hard and it won’t cost you a penny.

• Take time to do things you enjoy but also learn something new.

• Have a sense of humor! Jokes literally litter everywhere! Do everyone a favor and pick them up!

• Do silly things—and do them one more time!

• Let your creativity flow—write a poem, paint a picture, do a sculpture.

• Think of somebody you love.

• Clean your bathroom. Remodel your room.

• Make some lists: 20 things you know how to do, 5 great achievements in your life, 10 strengths you have, etc.

• Talk to people. Someone under age 6—it’s fun. Talk to someone over age 70—it’s full of wisdom.

• Have, or better yet, give a massage! Personal touch can give you wonders!

How do you gain self-esteem for free? Simply have fun and do the things you enjoy the most. You don’t need money nor do you need to be a genius to build self-esteem. Appreciating and doing the tiny tasks (and even just a little “me” time) will create the happiness you are searching for. Self esteem activities can help you love your self, love others, and love life.

The moment Bob stepped out of the administration office with a brand on his head saying “new team leader of the production team”, he knew that he had two choices: Either he fires the current employees who were not exactly producing quality work and who have cost the company large quantities of greens in losses and feel bad about it or he gets sacked for retaining them. While reviewing information about the production team in the hopes of finding a good reason for keeping them, Bob was astounded when he discovered that all of them were above average individuals, the best in their fields in fact! So why in the world were these people not doing the work that they were hired to do? Bob got his answer when he read the final report on who the previous team leader was. It was none other than the company’s Mr. Scrooge. Suddenly realization hit him and he saw that the problem was not the production force. Rather, it was the lack of motivation in the workplace.

Are you a team leader, head, manager, or supervisor who has also discovered that there is a dismally low quantity of motivation in the workplace? If you are, then like Bob you realize that what you have at hand is a monster of a problem. The fate of a business or a company is sealed by the competence and efficiency of its work force. In fact, the greatest asset of a business is not technology or equipment. Rather, it is competent, efficient and motivated employees.

Motivation in the workplace has drastic effects on quantitative and qualitative output. If there is abysmally low motivation in the workplace, the products manufactured will not meet the quality demands and will surely have appalling consequences. As a manager or leader, it is your duty to steer the company away from this path by increasing motivation.

Motivation is the spark that lights a burning bush of passion to achieve goals despite obstacles. It’s the upshot that individuals need so that there is inspiration to complete a task. To increase motivation in the workplace i.e. to increase production and quality, well, that needs some serious piece of advice, right? So, what’s a manager or leader to do? Here are a few ideas:

• You cannot motivate your employees. A horse can be taken to the water but it cannot be forced to drink; it will drink only when it feels thirsty. Your people are not horses, but the same case can be applied to them. To desire motivation is a decision your employees must make. Your decision as a manager, however, revolves around whether their decision will hamper or perk up their performance and working relationship with others. You may not force the horse to drink, but you can do something to make it feel thirsty. Similarly, you cannot motivate your employees, but bear in mind that you can help them motivate themselves! Be a good judge of people and take time to dig out what will motivate them to not just work, but work efficiently and loyally. Individual needs underscore motivation. So what does each staff need? Recognition? Higher wage? Responsibility? A challenge? You’ll be surprised that sometimes, your employees need only something as simple as being appreciated to keep their flame for their job burning.

• Lead by example. Emerson once wrote, “Who you are speaks so loudly I can’t hear what you’re saying.” If you can’t do what you say, don’t bother telling people what to do! If you want punctuality, show up early. If you want dedication, stay late and work with focus and intent. Act in a way you wish your employees to act and they will pick up on the example you have set.

• Have a reward system. Motivation can be reinforced by external stimuli. How about a bonus or a promotion for a job well done? However, the most effective reward for many employees would have to be simple words of appreciation. Let them know you notice and appreciate the effort they exert in their work—do this regularly and publicly. Recognition of an employee’s work not only gives them a sense of satisfaction for being a sprocket in the team’s environment, but it also motivates the rest of the team to work harder. Don’t be afraid to foster friendly competition. It is already a part of human genes for people to prove that they can do something and do it well.

• Don’t make the workplace a penitentiary. Your people spend 7-10 hours at work, and the least you can do is to make them feel comfortable. Have a little fun (if it gets a little out of hand, well, that’s why you’re there right?). Your employees may spend a good quarter of their day at work, but if they’re enjoying it, heck, it’s as if they’re getting paid for simply doing what they love.

• Delegate tasks. Give independent responsibilities to your staff. Don’t stalk employees by giving second-by-second follow-ups on assigned tasks. If you’d rather tell them how to do their task in every wee bit of detail, you’d better do the task yourself!

• Be friendly, but don’t become friends. Favoritism is an accusation with a slow death. Giving preferential treatment on grounds that is non-work related, a.k.a unfairness, is a gigantic step to flush motivation in the workplace down the drains.

• Communicate—share the goals and context. It’s not bad to keep your employees informed on where they stand and where the team is going. Listen and ask. You are the coach, but you also need some coaching. If you don’t listen to your employees, it’s the same as telling them that their opinions don’t matter. There’s no I in team remember?

What if you’re not the management, but rather the employee? Well then, the more you should think about acquiring motivation in the workplace! Your manager or leader can only motivate you in so far that you are convinced of acquiring motivation. If you’re looking for some self-motivation in the workplace, these tips will be of help:

• Write down your goals. Your goals will be the map that will guide you so as not to drift aimlessly. Time will not stop for you. And when you work without goals, you waste time, energy and creativity. However, make sure that your goals are attainable. Eliminate expectations as they can be frustrating when you don’t see them materialize.

• Live in the present. Don’t cry over spilled milk. Get a new glass instead! That is, learn from your mistakes.

• Love what you do. This is the greatest source of motivation. The long hours in front of the computer or endless deadlines, can be miraculously compensated by the mere fact that you enjoy what you are doing. Do the kind of work you like. Have your own style. Dance to your own rhythm.

• Don’t fall prey to burn out. Working yourself to death is not something heroic –it’s actually stupidity. Give yourself a break to recharge.

• Get inspired. You need good music, books, movies—anything that will take things out of your mind when the going gets tough.

• Get along with people. You’re not the only one getting stressed, mind you. Chat with your office mates. Be kind to office personnel. You never know how far a few exchanges of words could go in terms of motivation in the workplace.

Motivation in the workplace is achieved with individual effort coupled with collective strategies. Whether you need to get people motivated or you are looking for motivation yourself, the secret is to identify your goal and systematically work towards it. If you’re motivated, you don’t only work productively, you are also oozing with self confidence and self-esteem—two ingredients to the recipe of achievement and success.

Catching something as elusive as motivation in the workplace is indeed not a walk in the park. But just like how an elusive bachelor will sooner or later get smitten by some babe, getting motivation in the workplace is not an impossible feat. With the right attitude and the right techniques, you will nail it!

Alessandra is a pretty name and it suits its owner well because Alessandra, who is my cousin, is definitely a looker. Her startling blue eyes complement her heart-shaped face, sufficiently aquiline nose, rosy lips, high cheekbones and long chocolate brown hair. She is also slender and tall and has an incredibly clear olive skin. Yep, Alessandra fits perfection to a T – physically anyway.

Her personality on the other hand is an entirely different story. Imagine a brown-haired Venus who keeps mostly to herself because no matter how pretty she is and no matter how many times you remind her of the fact, she thinks otherwise. This description basically summarizes my cousin. She believes that she is inferior compared to many people and lacks self confidence.

Whenever she looks at the mirror, all she sees is someone whose beauty and abilities are as brilliant as a rustic old nail. The result is that she only has a few friends, no boyfriend and a social life that would shame Rip van Winkle’s state of inactivity. Why Alessandra perceives herself this way, I really do not understand. Fortunately, I do not have to be a genius to realize that what my cousin needs is a dose of the confidence that I have been born with in abundance.

Hey, I may not be Paris Hilton but I definitely am made up of the stuff that she is (minus the heiress title). So, with these thoughts in my mind, I gave Alessandra lessons on how to improve self confidence. Since generosity is my middle name, I have also decided to share them with you (yes, YOU! my faithful reader) here.

• For us to improve self confidence, we first have to recognize that we are worth a million bucks. Okay, so this is an exaggeration but the point is, we must realize that we are worthy of life and worthy of living. Not being famous or popular does not mean that we are insignificant. Being alive is in itself a beautiful thing and we should celebrate it. We should, in reality then, celebrate our selves and every day of our lives.

• Second, we have to acknowledge our strengths and weaknesses. For example, if we are good in art, then we should give ourselves a pat in the back. Being proud of our talent does not necessarily mean that we are arrogant about it. After all, if a person does not have pride in what he has, he is likely to think that he is incapable. However, we also have to comprehend that we have limitations. We may be talented in 2 dimensional Art but we may not be as adept in 3D. Knowing our limitations gives us the chance to challenge ourselves and therefore improve and gain more confidence in our capacities.

• Third, carpe diem! is imperative. Carpe diem literally translates to seize the day! Naturally, we have to seize every opportunity that we are given to show the world who we are. These opportunities could be little ones, from returning a lost wallet to its rightful owner to slightly bigger things such as winning a school debate and finally to those that are massive like discovering the next habitable planet in the solar system. The short of it is that, it pays to do things and to do them well no matter how small they may seem because they contribute to gaining self confidence.

• Fourth – try, try, try again and again and again. Whenever we fail, we do not have to be embarrassed about it. Rather, we should use the failure as a stepping stone to improvement. Great things do not come easy so if we want things that are of considerable magnitude, we should kiss goodbye to whatever is easy. You see, failing every now and then is good. It builds character and character gives us self confidence. So the next time you fail, think of it as heaven sent.

• Thou shall not compare. As cliché as it may sound, we are all unique individuals. Comparing ourselves to others basically strips us of the occasion to focus on what we can offer as a one-of-a-kind person. Instead, we are consumed with wanting to be like the other guy or the other girl because they are such darlings and we are such dorks. What we fail to see is that we actually have characteristics, quirky or not, that make us dear to people around us. So we end up feeling inferior and tottering on the riverbank of insecurities. Of course, this affects our self-confidence.

• Finally, we should never forget to think positive. If, for example, today we have a bad hair day, we should not let this sad fact overwhelm us. It’s just hair. Besides, today is not everyday. Tomorrow we can always look nicer. If we think positively about a situation, even when it seems to be one that is drastically making us desperate, we become more confident in our ability to get out of it. When we do this, we also improve self confidence.

The above are things that we could all engage in so as to become more self-assured and less insecure. As for Alessandra – she is starting to get over her irrational thinking and beliefs of being inferior. She is friendlier, more talkative, more approachable and more sociable. In other words she is happier – WAY HAPPIER.

So, are you reading this because you need to improve self confidence? In that case, why don’t you try the suggestions I have written above? They might do you a lot of wonder. If you have had success with boosting your own self confidence we ask you what worked well for you?