Now, it’s time to work on yourself and think about the things you want to achieve. How do you achieve it all? Everything that you want? How to you achieve self-actualization?
We all need water, food and shelter. The most important parts of survival. What comes after you have those things? What if you don’t want to only survive but thrive? You want to achieve your greatest potential. That is self-actualization. It’s doing everything that you are capable of doing.
How to achieve self actualization according to Abraham Maslow
Self-actualization is a concept from the hierarchy of needs created by psychologist, Abraham Maslow. The term was introduced for the first time by Kurt Goldstein in the early 20th century. Kurt, a physician specializing in psychiatry and neuroanatomy believed that self-actualization is the end goal of each human being. However, the concept became popular through Abraham’s hierarchy of needs.
In Maslow’s book from 1943 titled “A Theory of Human Motivation,” he explains that people would work on their higher goals only when their basic needs are met. In his book, “Motivation and Personality,” he says:
“Musicians must make music, artists must paint, poets must write if they are to be ultimately at peace with themselves. What human beings can be, they must be. They must be true to their own nature. This need we may call self-actualization… It refers to man’s desire for self-fulfillment, namely to the tendency for him to become actualized in what is his potential.”
Achieve your goals
Self-actualization was further studied by Carl Roger who saw self-actualization not as one of many motivators but as the only motivator.
Examples of self-actualized people in history
Maslow believed that Albert Einstein, Abraham Lincoln and Elenora Roosevelt are examples of self-actualization. However, although these are incredible figures in history, we all can reach self-actualization without doing what Albert Einstein did. When motivated enough, we can all reach self-actualization. What can you do? The first thing you should work on is accepting yourself wholeheartedly without any exceptions, all flows and anything that might not be good about you. If you haven’t managed to do everything you planned today, it’s ok. Accept that you are a human who makes mistakes, but that you do your best is the most important part.
The second step is to look into what motivates you in your day-to-day activities. Do some soul-searching and digging here to see what moves you. Examine what you want to achieve to feel fulfilled. What are your goals in life? Once you have established that, be ready for some bumps in the road ahead. Obstacles should not be perceived as threats and reasons to give up but as challenges that you must and will overcome. If you really want to dive into your soul, consider having a psychologist to determine the path ahead of you and work through any potential barriers to self-actualization.
The Importance of Self-Actualization
Self-actualization can come from pursuing your hobbies and fulfilling your dreams or raising your children to be respectful and good human beings. It doesn’t have to be the same for everyone and it’s not the same for each one of us. Not everyone wants to own their business, some want to get really good at the job that they love and they see a clear career path in front of them.
No matter how you choose to approach your self-actualization, the struggle of achieving your dreams will make your life more fulfilling. This is not one big assignment that you must achieve by the end of the year. It’s not something that’s meant to be a New Year’s resolution but a path with small goals where you need to reach each goal one by one while exploring yourself. When meeting one goal you might re-invent yourself and desire something that’s not on your horizon at all at the moment. That’s the fun part.
