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Hey. This is Leo, for actualized.org and in this video, I am gonna talk about self-actualization. Oh man, I've been waiting for a long time to do this video because I love this topic. For me, this is what inspired me to create my website. That's why I named it actualized.org Because I think self-actualization is a super important and inspiring topic. So, we're gonna talk about all the nuances here, and there's a lot. there's a lot more than you read about in the textbooks and the little glosses that you get here and there on Wikipedia or elsewhere. So, self-actualization. What is it and what does it really mean and why is it important, why should we care about it? So, bottom line, and this is kind of where it all starts. Is; I'm gonna give you a little bit of history of it. Self-actualization is really a term coined and promoted by positive psychology; Kind of the grandfather of positive psychology, which is Abraham Maslow. and Maslow, you might know from introductory psychology classes, is the guy who created that hierarchy of needs. That pyramid, right? That pyramid of human psychological needs. And there he talks about the different needs that we have. At the bottom level, we have, just the very physical base needs of oxygen and water and food, right? That's the most essential thing that we need to survive. Then, the next level up from that, is; We have safety needs. Obviously we want some shelter, We want to be safe from the cold and heat, We also want to be protected from-- from being stabbed in the back or being assaulted or injured physically in some way. So we've got that. Then the next level up from that, you'll be starting to want to get a sense of community, a sense of belonging. So, being part of a tribe, being part of an organization being part of something important. Then, next level up from that might be something like friendship and love, intimate relationships. and then, building up on top of that, is; You have Self-esteem, the needs for self-esteem, needs for recognition, needs for significance within your life. And then, at the very, very top. That top triangle is what you call self-actualization. And that is, really, the need for growth The need to realize your full potential. And so, that's what self-actualization is. But, that is a very simplistic surface definition of it. I wanna go in depth and tell you exactly what it means to be self-actualized. Because I find people throwing around this term, self-actualization. It tends to be abstract and even though I understand what it means, most people, when they use it, they're not very specific, because they've never gotten the full, rich definition that Maslow gives. And Maslow gives a brilliant definition of this. And you can read this. If you're really interested, I really encourage you to read his book called Toward A Psychology of Being where he gives a lengthy, deep discussion of self-actualization, which is so inspiring, that when I read it, I started my website. It's just amazing. You have to go and read this. So, one of the keypoints that he makes there is; He says that, we've got these needs. And everyone agrees that, you know, we need food, or we're gonna die. And we need social interactions. We possibly need intimate relationships, we need to be part of a community, we need to; We need to have some sort of sense of significance to feel good about ourselves. These are needs. But what most people don't recognize is that there's also this need, to live to your full potential. And this is not a luxury. This is not something that would be nice to have. This is a need. Maslow says that this is something, that if you do not honor, and that you do not live up to your full potential, when you know what you're capable of, that; What it's gonna do - It's gonna rot you from the inside. And actually what it's gonna lead to is psychological dysfunction. It's gonna lead to neurosis. So, ignore this at your own peril. And really, what he compares it to; He makes this analogy that, just like there are vitamin needs, that the human body has, in order to function optimally and to not have some sort of diseases or deficiencies The same thing with the human psyche is that; We have these very subtle needs. Just like a vitamin. A vitamin is this small little thing, that, normally we don't consider that we have a deficiency in. But if you are deficient in it, all of a sudden it creates a huge problem. And so, the same thing here, is that, normally, if you're setting goals for yourself, and you're going and you're pushing yourself, and you're achieving stuff in your life, then you don't have a problem with this need of self-actualization. But if what you're doing is; For example you're settling for less than your best, Then that problem starts to rot you from the inside out and that becomes a big problem. And a lot of people out there, I see ignoring this need for self-actualization. And what they're basically doing, is, they're just handling their lower level needs. And that higher level need, they're ignoring, and they don't know why they're not satisfied with life, They don't know why they're unfulfilled. They don't why they just feel this general malaise about life and they don't want to do anything, they're not motivated. Well, that is why. Because this is a need. It's not just a luxury. The other nice thing about self-actualization, and this is what's really inspiring when you read Maslow, is that, it's really what it means to be human. Is; To pursue self-actualization. 'Cause that other stuff, that's nice, But the joys that you get from that, are not giving you that same level of clean high that you get, when you're going after, and living on your edge, and pursuing your full putential. When you're actually going after that self-actualization. 'Cause there is quite a distinct boundary between the two types of needs. The lower level needs are like base needs. And they're nice to have. They make you feel safe and comfortable and secure. But, it's pursuing those higher level needs, those ideals, that really gets you charged up and pumped up and gets you super excited. and gets you really passionate about your life. Right? You can be comfortable living according to your base needs, But you get a charged life by living according to your ideals. That's what is really inspiring there. So what I want to do next, is; I want to cover and go down this list that Maslow has in his book, where he talks about what it really means to be a self-actualized person. And when I read this list, It literally put tears in my eyes, it inspires me. Because this is what I imagine my best self as being and this is who I wanna be. And this is really what actualized.org is about Is; Helping you become this. So, this is kind of the full-on, rich definition of what it means to be self-actualized. So here is what a self-actualized person is. Here are the qualities that he has. So, a self-actualized person has a superior perception of reality. He sees reality more objectively than other people. He has an increased acceptance of himself, others, and nature. He has increased spontenade in his behavior. He is not so rule-bound, He is able to be outrageous and spontaneous. Self-actualized people are more focused on the problems, the challenges in life, than they are on themselves. They're not so much worried about their own feelings. Which makes them, counterintuively, feel better, because they're not so focused on themselves. They have an increased detachment from things. That means they don't cling to things as much. And they have a deeper desire for privacy. They value solitude 'cause they value time to contemplate and to think. Self-actualized people have an increased sense of autonomy and individuality. That means, they feel like they're agents. They don't feel like they're victims in life. They take full responsibility for how their life unfolds. Self-actualized people are resistent, or at least more resistent, to social conditioning than other people. They are world citizens not beholden to culture. That means they are not a slave to their culture. They pick and choose from culture. The things, that work for them in their life. And the things that empower them. and leave the rest on the table. Self-actualized people are comfortable being themselves, even when it means being unpopular. They don't need approval from others. They're self-reliant. Self-actualized people have a good sense of what is real and unreal. And they value the truth and facts over mere beliefs or superstitions or dogma. They have a more scientific type of thinking. Self-actualized people have great freshness of apprectiation and richness of emotional reaction. That means they are not always logical and locked in their heads, On the contrary, They're open to experience. They're open to emotions. They experience emotions fully and richly. Self-actualized people have a higher frequency of peak-experiences. So that means they're in that flow state more often and they get those really thrilling, exciting, passionate experiences in life more often and more consistently. Self-actualized people have an increased identification with the human species. They feel like they're part of the species. That the species is doing something good. Self-actualized people have improved interpersonal relationships. They're better able to deal with relationships and to manage relationships And their relationships are not up and down rollercoaster rides. Self-actualized people have a more democratic character structure. They don't feel like they need to be dictating to people. They don't feel like they need to be controlling or manipulating people. Self-actualized people have greater, increased creativity. So they're more creative. They want to out there and create something. They want to be original. They are always thinking about that. Self-actualized people have a deep knowledge and understanding of who they are. They know themselves. Which, I find, many other people do not. Self-actualized people are constantly moving towards unity and integration in their personality and world view. They're always synthethi-- They're taking in information, they're analyzing it, they're synthethizing it together, into some sort of deeper understanding. Self-actualized people are actively nurturing of their talents. So that means, they recognize what their talents are, And then they build them up. They train. They build up skills. Self-actualized people place great value on the ideal values. And Maslow goes into this at length. He talks about what the values are of a self-actualized person and here is a partial list. Truth, beauty, goodness, uniqueness, wholeness, justice, simplicity, richness, Effortlessness and playfulness. So these are kind of the, like, the ethereal top level platonic values of humanity. As opposed to some of the base values, like, the need for security, or the need for comfort, or the need for approval, or the need for money, right? Which generates greed. All of these, kind of, more pety needs. So, a self-actualized person is chasing and pursuing these higher needs. Stuff like truth and beauty. Which, to me, is just amazing. I love that. It sends chills down my spine, when I hear that. Next is; Self-actualized people are driven by positive and intrinsic motivation. They're not really driven by lack. A self-actualized person is not so much doing things in their life because they need to. They're doing them because they want to. They love to. So they're not going to their work because they have to go. They're not in a relationship because they have to be. They're doing these things because they love it. They enjoy it. This is something that they're driven from the inside. They're not so much driven from the outside. Self-actualized people are generally more able to enjoy more aspects of life. They don't just enjoy achievement, thrive and peak experiences, they also enjoy those quiet moments. So they're able to be happy. Even when they're not stimulated from the outside. Self-actualized people take pleasure in functioning at their prime. So they love to pursue peak performance. And they love to be excellent at whatever it is that they're doing. Self-actualized people take a non-valuing, non-judging, non-interfering, non-condemning attitude towards other people. Which basically means that they take other people just as part of the world. And just as beings, rather than, some sort of objects or pawns that are there for their approval or their satisfaction, their stimulation, and their enjoyment. Right? So, it's not judging other people. It's just being comfortable with who people are. Even when they're different than you. Self-actualized people are more loving. They need less love, but are able to give more love. Self-actualized people embrace conceptual dichotomies and polarities and conflicts, by fusing, transcending or resolving them. They're comfortable with paradoxes, contradictions and not knowing. Have you ever known someone, who always needs to be right? Who were so firm in their beliefs that they can't be around other people? Well, a self-actualized person is comfortable, they're open-minded, they're able to tolerate the unknown. Self-actualized people have desires and impulses that correlate with what's actually good for them. So, they're not reaching for that donut when they know it's bad. They're able to resist it. And they're able to resist it in an easy sort of way without a lot of harsh discipline. Right? What they want aligns with what's actually good and healthy for them. Self-actualized people have a solid psychological health. Self-actualized people live on purpose in their life. With a sense of mission. And they view their work as a precious cause. Their work is personal to them. It's important to them. They take great pride in their work. They want to do it excellently. Self-actualized people are generally involved with improving the world. They don't just care about themselves. They want to make a contribution that improves the world in a positive way. Self-actualized people are willing to admit and correct mistakes. So, they're not perfect. But they are willing to admit when they are not perfect. And they're wiling to work on themselves. And self-actualized people have an easy discipline about them. Easy self-discipline, Which comes hard to the average person. And for them, their duty is the same as their pleasure. Self-actualized people gratify themselves as moderately, rather than obstaining through hard discipline. So, instead of saying no to that donut, Maybe they'll take one bite of it. But they'll stop there. They won't go overboard. They can find that balance that other people find difficult to find. Self-actualized people express their impulses, yet they use less control to do it. Their controls are not ridgid. And they're not so anxiety-driven as it is for other people. Self-actualized people are able to express their aggression in a healthier way. And they express it in a sort of righteous indignation, rather than a physical lashing out. Self-actualized people have a different, new set of concerns, that ordinary people have. They have what Maslow calls Being-challenges versus needs-challenges and that's too deep of a concept to go into here, but it's actually super powerful and a fascinating concept. Self-actualized people live to experience joy rather than to experience pain. So they're moving towards things rather than moving away from things. They're positively motivated. And self-actualized people live in the present moment. They're not focused on the past. They're not focused too much on the future. And then, lastly, Self-actualized people make more conscious decisions. They're generally at a higher level of consciousness, which allows them to really tab into this whole list of things that I just raddled off here. So, that is it. I'm a little bit over time. But, I hope you get a deeper, richer understanding of what self-actualization is. I hope this inspires you to be a self-actualized person I don't know how you can listen to this list, and not want to be that. For me, this is it. This is what being human is all about. This is the peak of being a human being. Is; Getting yourself into all these characteristics and living them and embodying them. And that's why I started actualized.org Is; To help you understand how to do that. Because now I talked about all the things that self-actualization is. Now the question is: How do you become self-actualized? And for that, I'm gonna let you check out actualized.org So, I'm gonna wrap it up here. Go ahead. Like this, please share it. Leave me your comments down below. And go to actualized.org right now where I've got tons of information about self-actualization, how to do it, all the different intricacies involved. It's a really deep topic. Subscribe to my newsletter there and then you can get free updates every week with how to become more self-actualized.