Becoming You
The ability to realize your own capabilities in the world. Quite simply it is a state of mind in which you know yourself and you know what you can do and how it will apply to society. That’s all well and good, but how can you achieve this state of mind? Here are the four steps you will need for becoming you. The “you” you were meant to be.
Hierarchy Of Needs
You know, Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs? Well, sitting at the peak of that triangle is self-actualization. Each of the needs is meant to serve as a step and you can’t get to the next step until you have truly satisfied the previous one.
At the bottom of the hierarchy, you will find the most basic needs, those which are fundamental to you, like breathing, eating, drinking, and sleeping. Then you have clothing and shelter. Above that, you will find the psychological needs like relationships, reputation, self-esteem, affection, and love. At the very top, you will see self-actualization.
If you’re not sure where we’re going with this – understand that self-actualization is a gradual process that requires many steps beforehand. It isn’t a process that you can rush and it isn’t something that you can force or fake.
If you try to push, it faster than it’s progressing you may achieve a false happiness or state of self-actualization. It will be temporary.
Develop and Enhance Yourself
You can’t compare your progress or your journey to that of others, there is nothing more personal than the path you will take to your own self-actualization. Therefore, don’t get caught up worried about what everyone else is doing, your focus should remain on yourself; after all, you are trying to be your best you.
One of the big ways that you can improve on yourself is by learning from both your successes and your failures. Don’t just learn from books (though that is important), you should also learn from the people in your life. Find the positives about yourself and reflect on how you can use your weaknesses to your advantage in correlation with your strengths.
If someone offers criticism, you can take it on board – if there’s value in it then determine how it can be put into use. If there isn’t value in it then dismiss it. You can lean into your flaws in your bid to become your best self.
Evaluate
Part of your process to self-actualization will require a bit of evaluation and it should be used in conjunction with the above step.
Before you can evaluate you must first analyze your situation before creating a plan of action to achieve it. You can then evaluate the situation and use that information for the next stage of self-actualization. This will be something that you do to determine whether each step you take is truly working toward the ultimate goal of self-actualization.
Share Your Best
When you are walking down the dark tunnel of life self-actualization is finding yourself. When you have reached this state of mind, the logical step would be to flick the light switch to share your best with society. Don’t be afraid to share your strengths and your talents. You never know how you can help others unlock their own potential.
This is a journey and it is one that not everyone will be able to make. However, it is ultimately one of the most fulfilling trips you can make in your life.
There is something special about realizing who you are meant to be and chasing that. In finding who you were meant to be and becoming it, you will find fulfillment, happiness, and ultimate satisfaction.