What do you need in order to feel good about yourself, to feel happy and fulfilled?  Most of us can come up with a list of of things ranging from money to independence, to power.  The list is almost limitless.  But what are your ‘basic’ needs?  What is it that you need the most so that you can get the most out this life?  

There are a number of needs which can  be individualized to each us, based on our current circumstances.  But I believe there are about four basic needs that we all need, no matter where we are in our lives today.  These are basic building blocks of our happiness.  They are – Hope, Love, Self-Confidence and Faith.

Hope - We all need hope for the future.  Hope is what gets us up in the morning and gets us to go to work when we may not feel like going.  Hope is knowing that we will overcome our current pains and grow from the experience.  This isn't a magic belief that everything will get better by itself, because it will not.  It is knowing that if we try, we can solve a lot of our problems.

Love is about sharing yourself with someone else, some one who needs you.  Caring for someone else as much or more than you care for yourself.  Love is also that warm spot in your heart knowing that someone in this cold, cruel world cares about us and cares about what happens to us.

Self-confidence is that internal knowledge, or belief in ourselves, that we can be successful in whatever endeavors we chose to pursue.  This is not the same as being ‘cocky or arrogant’.  It is a feeling deep inside that gives us the courage to try to achieve the goals we have set for ourselves.  Self-confidence is knowing and trusting our own instincts and abilities.

Faith in a higher power.  This is the foundation of all the basic needs of life.  Faith gives us the power to cling to our hopes and dreams, know we are loved and gives us the ability to love others, and gives us the self-confidence we need that allows us to endure the pain and suffering that we will encounter. 

- Joe Freeman