Dr. Abraham Maslow coined the term “Self-Actualization” as the
pinnacle in the hierarchy of human needs. Dr. Maslow summed up the concept as:
"A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write,
if he is to be at peace with himself. What a man can be, he must be.
This is the need we may call self-actualization ... It refers to man's
desire for fulfillment, namely to the tendency for him to become
actually in what he is potentially: to become everything that one
is capable of becoming ..."


where do you place your self on the scale of actualization

do you feel actualized and also

how do YOU define it ?

um... no.

neither do i

probably not even close

but im planning on hiking this mighty pyramid

wish me luck

I think that's farty American pish posh.

shausler said:

good luck.

I've decided not to define myself in such a way. Very gemini of me, I admit.

i must break certain shackles that hold me back


call me crazy

shausler said:

you crazy!

shausler said:

I don't feel actualized and I think I have a long way to go. Finding work I really like will take me a step closer I guess.

i have to write, and i have to enchant.

i love because i do.

I think self actualization is just a continuing process of living. Throughout life people will question what they do, what their purposes are in the world, their identity in society, and if they are finding outlets to express themselves.

a life long process

isadora said:

My job is rather to sustain my way of life. So I can buy food and clothes. It's more of a necessity, then it is a tool to achieve fulfillment. Don't get me wrong: I do like my job.

But 'becoming the man I am capable of becoming'... I think I see it more like this: being a good person in life. Being honest, friendly, doing good for yourself and the people you love. Refrain from doing things that are despiteful, instead aim to make the best of life, and to live your life to the fullest.

Nothing more, but certainly nothing less.

sustaining is level one on the pyramid

you should try zazen, shausie. it kept me from going crazy. i don't do it as much as i'd like, but it's completely beneficial and amazing.

meditation is the opposite of concentration

also, another thing. i think we as a society have too much free time on our hands, too much time to think about things and how and why we're not happy. sometimes the simple things are enough.

my grandfather told me something once, and i hold it as great wisdom:

"When I was little, we were too poor to have allergies."

i need to rewire myself

loop to deeply nested at times

im working on this

its

goal worthy

I feel as if I'm on the road to this, actually... Finally figured a few things out. But it took a long time.

I had the two bottom layers checked off right from the start (and even to this day I'm not worrying too much about them, thank God!). Then I had to skip the next layer and took care of the fourth one (from the bottom) instead and am currently knawing on the top one. That's pretty much where I'm at.

Heiress said:

Like what?

SereneSoul said:

Right now, as a freshly graduated girl, I see finding a job as a new step: it will help me to discover what I really want and how I can grow as a person. It is one of many steps that I have to take to become who I'm capable of becoming. Probably via a lot of trail and error, we'll see.

i think i have one but i'm not sure. what i really want to do is own my own space and shop with equipment so that i can do all the things that i like to do artistically and live off of that. i basically live for art. if i stayed broke doing it i still wouldn't have it any other way.

It's like striving for a goal that seems more and more out of reach the harder you try. It promises ultimate fulfillment, but it's by no means easy to attain. I think few people become "all that they can be."

LleeLlee said:

My foot would like to self-actualize your ass.

2the9s said:

bette noir

LleeLlee said:

2the9s said:

Who is that guy in your avatar 9s? He looks a bit scary.

LleeLlee said:

That's Ed Norton and his cat.

2the9s said:

you great big self-actualizing fibber.

starkitty said:

You're grandfather is right. I've often thought that.... during all my damned free time.

I became a painter as a result of all of the time I spent thinking about things. Now that I don't have as much free time I get frustrated that I haven't been able to paint as much as I'd like. I guess this goes with self-actualization because now that I have literally hundreds of ideas for paintings I won't be happy until my potential is reached and they are complete.
[Edited 12/8/05 11:20am]

LleeLlee said:

Is that you in your avvie?

You need to shave.