What Self-Actualization Looks Like and How to Achieve It

[Giulia]

Thank you for posting this very interesting article, Tony

Here is a summary along with the outcome of some brainstorming:

Summary

Self-actualized people are those who are living to their fullest potential. They are constantly striving to grow and learn, and they are not afraid to challenge themselves. They are also deeply accepting of themselves and others, and they have a strong sense of purpose in life.

Here are some of the key characteristics of self-actualized people:

Realistic acceptance: Self-actualized people are realistic about themselves and the world around them. They accept their strengths and weaknesses, and they don't try to be someone they're not. They also accept others for who they are, without judgment.
Efficient perception: Self-actualized people are able to perceive the world clearly and accurately. They are not easily swayed by emotions or biases.
Peak experiences: Self-actualized people have peak experiences, which are moments of intense joy and appreciation for life.
Autonomy and independence: Self-actualized people are independent and self-reliant. They make their own decisions and live their lives according to their own values.
Freshness of appreciation: Self-actualized people have a fresh appreciation for life. They are able to find joy in the simplest things.
Need for privacy: Self-actualized people value their privacy and alone time.
Democratic and participative orientation: Self-actualized people are interested in the welfare of others and want to make a difference in the world.
Concern for others: Self-actualized people are compassionate and caring. They are concerned with the well-being of others and want to help them reach their full potential.
Unconventionality: Self-actualized people are unconventional and independent thinkers. They are not afraid to challenge the status quo or go their own way.
Humor: Self-actualized people have a good sense of humor. They are able to laugh at themselves and at the world around them.
Brainstorming

List of some ideas for how to become more self-actualized:

Identify your values and goals: What is important to you in life? What do you want to achieve? Once you know what you value and want to achieve, you can start to make choices that are aligned with your goals.
Challenge yourself: Step outside of your comfort zone and try new things. The more you challenge yourself, the more you will grow as a person.
Be accepting of yourself and others: We all have strengths and weaknesses. Accept yourself for who you are, and accept others for who they are.
Be grateful for what you have: Take the time to appreciate the good things in your life. Gratitude can help you to feel more positive and fulfilled.
Give back to others: Helping others is a great way to find meaning and purpose in life. Find a cause that you care about and volunteer your time.
Self-actualization is a journey, not a destination. It takes time and effort to become a self-actualized person. But it is a journey that is well worth taking.

From a personal point of view, what I really struggle with most is being accepting of others, if they are the direct cause of my loved ones’ distress. I am working on this.

I have also given up wanting to make a difference in the world, unless this has to do with my own individual behavior. In order to do this I no longer watch the news.

[Giulia]

Thank you, Tony.

In addition to my previous comments

From a personal point of view, what I really struggle with most is being accepting of others, if they are the direct cause of my loved ones’ distress. I am working on this.

I have also given up wanting to make a difference in the world, unless this has to do with my own individual behavior. In order to do this I no longer watch the news.

I am not sure about “realistic acceptance”. I don’t know what different people may judge as “realistic”, but for me it seems to suggest that one would not try and challenge shared points of view, which is the opposite of what I do. In other words, in order to be the self-actualized person I am, I always challenge what is supposed to be “realistic”.

What about you?

[Giulia]

Thanks for your thoughts, Tony. I have also often compared physical life to a dream we wake up from. To keep the dream symbology, I would add the expectation that we wake up from this "dream" enriched and that we can hence grant our spiritual self multifaceted features that spiritual beings that do not incarnate do not have access to.

From this perspective being self-actualized may mean different things to different people: I would never feel self-actualized if I did not approach what I think is "real" the way I do.

[Giulia]

Giulia, just now I thought about what might help to actualize our true selves. My opinion is that humans are so immersed in temporal, conditional physicality that we lost our understanding of what it means to have eternal life as a free gift from our Divine Source. Eternal means forever, without beginning, without ending.

I absolutely agree with, you, Tony

A different situation will of course arise if a 7-year old child experiences a NDE during his physical life, and this becomes his first and main memory, as in your case. Something similar may happen if a child is allowed to live in the blissful non-disconnected state for the first six years of her life, as in my case, and has then the drive to seek that state of connection back for the rest of her life.

Yes, I seem to have a good control over dreams, astral travel and other modified states of consciousness, but this does not mean that physical life has a dream-like nature for me: my dream knowings stand out as much more real. So the dream symbology might appears an interesting one to use to explain incarnation, yet I feel we come to create something much more tangible than dreams on this physical plane: I feel we create eternal and indestructible experiences that we could never create on a merely spiritual plane.

In order to continue to feel self-actualized, I feel I need to fully acknowledge the notion of ‘reality’ arising from my approach to life, and expect THIS incarnated version of myself as the most tangible and real that I could ever create, the best and most important purpose I have ever pursued and carried out BEYOND space and time.

As for RE-incarnation, I have often felt this idea is misunderstood and I personally feel it is unnecessary to conceive that we incarnate more than once. In my case I am experiencing what having multiple lives in one single life is like, and I prefer this option much more. Linear time can be an extremely heavy weight to carry around, and I’d rather never choose this experience again.

[Giulia]

Hello, Tony. Thank you for posting this summary of world events written from the point of view of the USA.

Italy was also affected by historical and political events, of course, but all I can remember from the years between I was 6 and 10 is that we were not allowed more than 30 - 60 minutes of television a day, watching children's programmes which had absolutely nothing to do with such events. I remember we often spent time with our grandmothers and other family members, we played in the playground with other children and went to school. Our family was not rich, my mother sewed our clothes and my grandmothers knitted. There was no junk food and my weekly pocket money allowed me to buy an ice cream or two. As the eldest child, I was trained to help my mother look after my brothers and help with the housework. I went to Sunday School and was very inquisitive because my parents never harassed me with religion, so I had lots of questions about what happens when we die. Since nobody answered such questions, I started my own inquiries.

Yes, I did have a religious background, but it was a protective and loving shell for me, which didn't tie in with what I started to hear at Sunday School. Hence my research journey, which is still ongoing.

So thanks for reminding me that I was not affected by world events save for the fact that the war had made people poor and money was not meant for luxury but for family life and experiences.