Human Influence
The most impactful force on earth: Humans have and continue to influence the planet more than any other factor. Over the past century we have developed innovative technologies that have provided sustenance, shelter and knowledge for billions of people around the world. The Human race has become such a social and physical force that we are pushing ourselves into a new geological age, one that is now being referred to as the Anthropocene.
The very first, original
Primary in its priority
Primitive in its simplicity
Pristine in its purity
Paramount in its importance
The Consequences of Humans
Humans’ impact upon the earth has created both opportunity and threat. Each year the shift in climate, alongside the continued depletion of the Earth’s natural resources, leads to the loss of 12 million hectares of arable land, 46,000 square miles of forests and at least 10,000 different species. Understanding the consequences of Humans is key to both survival and fulfillment in every aspect of our lives. Only through sustainability can we satisfy the most fundamental requirements for life and secure a safe and prosperous future for us all.
Primal Human
The challenges the Primal Human faced still exist. There are threats and opportunities. Mankind had to assess his environment in order to survive. He had to adapt to his environment. He had to strategize and make wise decisions for survival. Humans are motivated by a set of emotional systems that are connected to subconscious desires. Humans are innately motivated to achieve certain needs, when one need is fulfilled a person seeks to fulfill the next and so on. This was true of early humans and is just as true today. These motivators are known as the “Hierarchy of Needs”.
Fulfilling them is instinctive, permanent and unyielding. Mankind has not changed, nor have his needs, desires and requirements.
Now
Primal Success Funnel ⓒ
We at Primal have developed a model that identifies how instincts influence Mankind in relation to achieving survival and success. Financial survival and growth is one measure of achievement within human life as modern day existence depends upon the choices made, and these choices are largely governed by financial freedom. Therefore it is clear to ascertain that Mankind’s hierarchy of needs is every bit as important to financial prosperity as it is to success in any area of life. Our success funnel focuses on Primal needs. By pouring application through each tier of the funnel, value is created, which in turn builds profit, whether it be financial or non-financial. Each level of the funnel firms up security and sustainability. Every level of Primal need is considered directly in connection to this goal.
Each stage of the funnel creates a degree of benefit, but combining the tiers to form a funnel creates sustainable, ultimate and long lasting success
Investing in Mankind’s physiological needs is investing in the very highest of priorities for every being that has ever lived on the Earth and is ever born to it. Humans will sacrifice all else and risk everything to fulfill their physiological needs. Requiring constant attention, nothing holds more value or significance for Mankind than the continual fulfilment of these needs.
The global population is increasing, while diets across emerging markets are changing as economies grow at pace, adding further pressure to the Earth’s already declining natural resources. The demand for resource heavy survival, which relies on fuel, clean air, fresh water and food, is growing exponentially. Modern humans are more educated and aware than generations past, demanding changes to the old socioeconomic system geared towards productivity at any cost, which caused an unprecedented depletion of the Earth’s strategic resources. The burden to deliver is increasing as arable land decreases as a result of urbanization, over farming, synthetic agrochemical damage and a changing climate. These factors are creating a monumental supply demand imbalance.
Fulfilling the physiological needs of Mankind has never been more formidable and in turn offers greater potential rewards than ever before. Both moral and financial rewards will extoll themselves upon those responsible for meeting the physiological needs of Humans, the most primary of Mankind’s necessities.
- High stress zone with immediate gain on a personal survival level
- Low risk, inextinguishable demand creates immediate and secure profit for those that meet this necessity for others
Once Humans’ physiological needs are met, safety is the next priority, where ensuring personal health, financial security and environmental protection in the long-term come to the fore.
At this level, the needs for security and safety become primary as Mankind strives for order and longevity in their lives. Safeguarding personal healthcare and financial wellbeing, alongside the active protection and restoration of the environment, are all actions motivated by the need for safety and security.
For generations the business community have focused their industrial efforts on the short term, neglecting the future survival of Mankind and the planet. In a world of greater market volatility and geopolitical instability, long-term financial security depends on finding a sustainable way to meet Mankind’s increasing need for food, water, energy, shelter and infrastructure. All the while reducing his impact on the natural world and its ability to carry out the processes we rely upon.
In the current era “value” is rarely more than a price bestowed upon something due to sentiment and hype. Rather than speculate perceptive pricing in an environment whereby some have to lose in order for others to gain, true value creation is rewarding to both participants and recipients, now and in the future.
- Sentiment investing strategies focus on the short term and are high risk, whereas investing in Mankind’s Primal necessities lowers portfolio risk, offers a medium and long-term gain and is sustainable.
- Primal safety investments create win/win results that lower the risk levels of all involved.
When Mankinds’s physiological and safety needs are fulfilled, the need for belonging and acceptance becomes a priority. At this level, emotional relationships at home and the workplace are a significant influence on human behavior.
Belonging is a fundamental motivator for ensuring a sense of safety, identity and financial security within social structures such as family for generations. A powerful human requirement, this sense of belonging is achieved through investments that focus on harmony and protection.
It is extremely important that businesses harness a sense of unity and belonging within the local communities wherein they operate. Generating employment and giving back to local communities aids cooperation, improves recruitment and secures global economic growth.
Belonging instils a sense of pride, comradery and energy in Man, aiding overall productivity in their communities. The creation of a sense of belonging is overlooked by many, yet is surprisingly beneficial to long-term success.
Acquiring appreciation and respect is the next motivator for humans’ progress and success. In addition to the need for accomplishment and prestige, Esteem needs include the development of self-esteem and self-worth within communities. This is achieved by making productive contributions to the world that reinforces personal value in society.
In the workplace, when employee self-esteem is low or a sense of appreciation is lacking, productivity and loyalty are also low. When these aspects are high, productivity and loyalty are high, increasing the security of a business and investment therein. Esteem is one of the most important psychological contributors to success; without it, ability perishes, with it, ability flourishes.
The higher manifestation of self-esteem is self-respect. Strength, competence, mastery, self-confidence, independence and freedom rely upon an inner competence established through experience. There are benefits to be had by associating with aspects that fuel this within. By investing alongside or in others/organizations that possess self-esteem, benefits abound from the capabilities enhanced by it.
Reputation is the cornerstone of power and an ever-greater factor in success.
Ethical investments have a greater appeal to society and therefore are lower risk. Companies that consistently manage and measure their responsible business activities outperformed their FTSE 350 peers on total shareholder return in 7 out of the last 8 years; a very real demonstration of the gravitation towards success only through reputable means.
Securing the environment and securing the general populous, secures Mankind. Profit at any price is no longer acceptable; investing in products that are socially, morally and environmentally friendly is essential to maintain the order of things, remain profitable and to sustain financial security.
A positive reputation through moral, social and responsible action is unassailable and a key ingredient to both personal and financial success in the new world order.
Humans have a built-in need to increase their intelligence and enhance their knowledge. The human requirement to learn, explore, discover and create will ensure a better comprehension of the surrounding world. Self-awareness and insight are vital to understanding the world and structuring lives and businesses in meaningful and integrated ways that lead to successful outcomes.
A lack of self-awareness creates ego and self-entitlement, factors that must be navigated in personal behavior and that of others in order to protect from vulnerability, uncertainty and risk exposure.
Many give short shrift to the importance of cognition, which should actually be a top criterion. A high cognitive self-awareness score is the strongest predictor of overall success. Those whom are aware of their weaknesses are better able to seek guidance in categories in which acumen is lacking and thereby improve to higher attainment.
“What a man can be, he must be” – Abraham Maslow (1954)
Achieving full potential represents the continuous and comprehensive use of a humans’ highest talents and capabilities in the greatest generative way.
Self-actualization occurs when individuals reach a state of harmony, understanding and intellectual fulfilment by achieving their full potential in life.
Concerned for the welfare of humanity and driven by strong moral, ethical and intellectual standards, self-actualized figures throughout history have provided solutions to some of Mankind’s most significant challenges.
Investing in ways that enable this fulfilment of potential is of great benefit to all participants. Satisfaction in self-fulfilment boosts productivity and peak performance, which created further levels of reward both morally and financially.
Leaving a worthwhile legacy increases in significance as the wealth divide expands. Helping future generations to educate themselves, fulfill their potential and self-actualize is more important now than ever. Investing in such a future must follow the Primal funnel to exist and remain intact for generations.
Investing in the solutions to Mankind’s primal needs of sustainability creates a sense of true accomplishment. Empowered by innovation and technological development, one must focus on fulfilling Mankind’s Primal needs for the long term. Engaging directly with these needs creates lower risk and higher returns than traditional asset classes. It is certain that in a world demanding and deserving of higher social responsibility, sustainable businesses with Mankind’s Primal needs at the forefront will ensure a more secure, conscious and profitable future for us all.