(An unmet Need causes us to feel empty, incomplete, or less than whole. Fulfilling a Need gives us freedom to be ourselves.)


We live in an age of under acknowledgement. To acknowledge someone is to see a positive attribute of them and tell them so. We do this far less than we could. Thus missing the benefits we could experience. Plus, a continual absence of acknowledgement can lead to a neediness for it.

When receiving an acknowledgement some have described the feeling they experience as one of being ‘gotten’ as in, “He/she gets me. They see an aspect of me that’s real.” A deeper level of connection results.

An acknowledgement is different and deeper than a complement. (See S:0089) When you acknowledge someone, or something about them, you are forging a bond which can last.

But to go a long time without being acknowledged is to see it develop into a Need. At that point we start doing overt actions trying to prompt one from others. That neediness is off-putting, actually interfering with receiving what we are so needy for.

To recognize you have a need for acknowledgement is the first step to letting it go and being free. You might want to start with self-acknowledgement – catching yourself doing something well.

Most people are so under acknowledged that when they do hear one they soak it in like rain on a dry lawn.


Coaching Point: When were you last acknowledged and how did you feel?


Copyright 2022 Steve Straus. All rights reserved.