Six Human Needs.

He teaches that everyone is driven by these six needs, but we all prioritize them differently, which shapes our behavior and life path.

Here is the complete list with short explanations:

1. Certainty The need for safety, stability, and comfort. It’s the desire to avoid pain and know what lies ahead. We need to feel that the roof will hold and the paycheck will come. However, if you have too much certainty, you get bored.

2. Uncertainty (or Variety) The need for the unknown, change, and new stimuli. We need surprise and challenge to feel alive. As Tony says, “If you knew exactly what was going to happen tomorrow, you’d be bored out of your mind.”

3. Significance The need to feel unique, important, special, or needed. This is the drive to stand out. People meet this need in many ways—by achieving great things, by being the best at something, or even by having the biggest problems (so people pay attention to them).

4. Love & Connection The need to feel a bond with others. Everyone craves this. While “Significance” is about standing apart from others, “Love” is about coming together. Tony notes that many people settle for “connection” (crumbs) because “love” is too scary to pursue fully.

5. Growth The need to expand emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually. This is one of the two “spiritual needs.” Tony’s famous mantra is: “If you’re not growing, you’re dying.” You cannot be truly happy without a sense of progress.

6. Contribution The need to give beyond yourself. The secret to living is giving. This is the second “spiritual need.” Achievement might make you happy for a moment, but only contribution (helping others) provides lasting fulfillment.

A practical reflection

We all meet all six needs — every day. The key question is:
Which needs run your life, and which ones are you choosing consciously?

That awareness alone can change the direction of a life.