Maslow on the Mind

I've been working on my literature review for my master's thesis over the past few weeks. The final assignment in one of my courses this semester was to write a paper, and considering the professor is also my advisor, getting started on my thesis was the way to go. The basic concept of my thesis is applying Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs to understanding success in small- to medium-sized businesses. Fancy, right? Over the past few weeks I have read more about Maslow's Theory of Human Motivation than I ever thought possible. You would think that so many articles, books, magazines, etc. later I would have pages and pages written for my literature review. I have 10 -- and that's including my cover page. I just can't seem to determine what is important, what isn't -- who took the theory seriously, used it appropriately, and in ways that will help me understand and complete my research.

Today I've been on campus now for 5 1/2 hours and feel like my brain is on fire. Not in a bad way -- I just feel so immersed in thought that I'm struggling getting any of it out on paper and in a fashion that sounds professional and perhaps somewhat profound. I realize that this paper is a work in progress. I won't finish it for another 6 months, and I honestly hope that it is the best and most thoughtful work that I've done up to this point in my academic career. My focus for my thesis isn't to prove correlation, provide predictions, or any other sort of empirical result. My goal is to evoke thinking of other researchers. To inspire others to continue researching success in SME's so we can gain a better understanding in what makes these increasingly important businesses tick and keep our economy running.

For now, I will continue attempting to get it all out in a way that does justice to the work that has previously been done, yet without stifling future thought.