Abraham Maslow
Your life is your life – so how is it playing out? For many of us, studying Maslow’s hierarchy of needs was simply something one had to do as part of our University studies. Intuitively you always kind of got it – yep get the basic needs satisfied like your physiological and safety ones, and then start reaching for a bit of love and esteem, nail that and then have a crack at the joy of self-actualisation. But the reality is that our needs are fluid. We can be wrapped in a whole lot of love, but just lost all our assets ( and the accompanying safety and physiological needs they provided) through a business deal that goes pear shaped.
LIFE CAN GO PEAR-SHAPED
I’ve been there, done that. Think you are flying and then end up with a business in receivership and all you seem to have is a lot more time than you had planned on having. Certainly you may still be able to feed yourself, but your esteem has taken a battering and self- actualisation can seem like it exists only on another planet. But time is a wonderous thing. You are back in the saddle, the years drift by and all of a sudden you begin to ponder what does it all add up to. It is in this context that the concept of self-actualisation is worthy of some reflection (as it really should be for the whole journey – and journey it is).
SELF-ACTUALISATION IS LIVING TO OUR TRUE POTENTIAL
If we accept that self-actualisation is a big slice of living to our true potential, then how are you travelling? As mentioned above our needs are fluid, and working towards self-actualisation is an on-going process, influenced by your changing life circumstances and the experiences you accumulate. It is a journey, and what follows is 10 questions ( courtesy of https://positivepsychology.com/self-actualization-tests-tools ) to reflect on while you steer the mothership to where ever you are heading.
TEN QUESTIONS TO PONDER
1. In what ways are you open to new ideas and concepts?
2. How often do you take the time for self-contemplation and reflection? How could you improve this?
3. To what extent do you accept yourself and your life’s circumstances?
4. What control do you think you have over what happens to you, and how you respond?
5. How do your current relationships help foster a sense of personal growth in your life?
6. Where do you feel you could make improvements in your life to help foster a greater sense of fulfillment?
7. When was the last time you felt genuinely content? Where were you, and what were you doing?
8. How do you give back to others?
9. In what ways do you think you could make more time for the things that give you a strong sense of fulfillment in life?
10. How do you encourage and willingly bring new knowledge, thoughts, and ideas into your life?
Empowerment, curiosity, generosity and consciousness clearly all worth programming into your navigation system.