| Most of us question our life's purpose or direction | | | | that constantly ran through my mind: |
| from time to time. Sadly, many of us are so | | | | Am I happy with me life? If not, why? |
| preoccupied with the daily routines of life or | | | | Can I do better? If so, how? |
| navigating one crisis after another that we don't | | | | What can I do to change my life for the better |
| give our life's purpose or direction serious | | | | starting today? |
| consideration. Even for those of us that do | | | | I allowed my natural curiosity pertaining to my |
| contemplate our life's purpose or direction, often | | | | relationship with life guide my being and uncover |
| times a void still exists. This void is deep in our | | | | my purpose. I think we all instinctively are aware |
| soul and lays at the heart of our subconscious, | | | | of our ability to do this, but we allow fear and |
| becoming conscious every time life's distractions | | | | doubters to deter us from following our unique |
| give way to those brief moments of clarity. In | | | | path and end up following the path that others |
| these moments of clarity, all is quiet, it is just us | | | | have laid for us. Do you remember the main |
| and our thoughts, dreams, and desires. These are | | | | character of the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy? Well, |
| the times when our subconscious allows those | | | | she had an purpose in mind (to get back to |
| questions of purpose and direction to surface into | | | | Kansas), but she allowed her natural curiosity to |
| our conscious mind. When that happens to you, | | | | guide her because she did not know what she |
| what do you do? Do you run to turn on the | | | | would encounter or how it would turn out as she |
| television or jump on the telephone to distract | | | | took off on the yellow brick road to see the |
| yourself, hoping that the new stimuli will force | | | | wizard (the individual that could help her achieve |
| these uncomfortable questions back into the | | | | this purpose). All Dorothy knew was that she had |
| recesses of your subconscious mind? Or do you | | | | to allow her natural curiosity guide her as she |
| get depressed and turn to mind altering drugs and | | | | followed the yellow brick road. There were many |
| self-destructive behavior to replace your fears of | | | | times when the path seemed scary and |
| not knowing how to address these questions? | | | | dangerous, but in the end, she arrived exactly |
| You may say to yourself, that you don't have | | | | where she needed to be in order to get back to |
| these kinds of thoughts. No, you just simply go | | | | Kansas. Now ask yourself, where are you |
| along with life and live day to day, not thinking | | | | heading? Are you on the path to self-actualization, |
| about your purpose, future, or reason for existing. | | | | or are you on a stagnant path to unfulfillment? As |
| Well, I know that to be a lie. If this were the | | | | with Dorothy in her journey, you have to |
| case, the majority of society would not turn to | | | | surrender to your natural curiosity if you want to |
| religion for meaning and direction, nor would | | | | uncover your purpose and achieve your dreams. |
| people go to school in search of careers that | | | | This includes becoming comfortable with not |
| they believe will give their lives purpose and | | | | knowing, but continuing to explore and examine |
| meaning. | | | | until you do know. You have to become |
| The truth is that most of society yearns for a | | | | comfortable with not understanding, but learn and |
| greater purpose or understanding of what he/she | | | | internalize until you have an understanding. This |
| could do to make his/her life more meaningful and | | | | way of living will lead you to unexpected, |
| purposeful. I have always lived my life inside of | | | | wondrous, and exhilarating places and experiences. |
| this introspective query. Ever since I was a | | | | You may be saying to yourself, what is he talking |
| teenager, I was not willing to accept poverty, | | | | about? I'm talking about self-actualization. I'm |
| violence, and despair as permanent conditions for | | | | talking about living your life in such a way that |
| my life. I believed that there was much more out | | | | you are fully self-expressed and are doing what |
| there for me. I just had to do what was | | | | inspires you. I'm talking about living a life that is in |
| necessary to grasp it. Like many, I instinctively | | | | alignment with who you are and what you have |
| knew that my life (the way I wanted it to occur) | | | | identified (through the process of being guided by |
| was within my grasp. However, the problem is, | | | | your natural curiosity) your purpose to be. Some |
| most of us do not know what to do to grasp it. | | | | of you may ask, how will I know what my |
| What is it that allows a select few in our society | | | | purpose is? You will find out during your life's |
| to attain the life they want, while the masses do | | | | journey, one led by your natural curiosity. In time, |
| not? Why can some of us identify our purpose | | | | you will learn what experiences makes your |
| and stay focused on it, while others can't even | | | | energy level rise, lifts your spirits, and fills you |
| identify theirs? | | | | with excitement. But, you can only find this out |
| The answer, those that attain the life they want | | | | through trial and error, which is what makes |
| do something most of us are too fearful to do, | | | | curiosity key. Only one's desire to know or learn |
| they allow their natural curiosity pertaining to their | | | | something will make him/her push through failure |
| relation to the world guide their development | | | | errors. I know that the thought of making a |
| existence. I know I just said a mouthful, but think | | | | mistake scares many of you. Sadly, our society |
| for a moment. When we look at world leaders, | | | | has made "safety" a priority, even though most |
| entertainers, artists, scientists, what do they all | | | | of us are "safely" living a life that is unfulfilling. So, |
| have in common? A natural curiosity that pushes | | | | you have to make a choice, what kind of life are |
| them to try new and different things and to take | | | | you going to live-a "safe" one without fulfillment or |
| risks and make sacrifices that most of us would | | | | one with stops and starts from time to time, that |
| shy away from. Instinctively we know that it is | | | | will eventually yield self-actualization and a sense |
| the willingness to try new things that leads to | | | | of purpose? |
| great new experiences, and it is the risk taking | | | | Understand that self-actualization is sustainable, |
| that provides the greatest rewards overtime, | | | | unlike engaging in artificial and temporal highs such |
| along with building a sense of confidence that | | | | as drugs and alcohol. Facilitated by |
| most of us never develop. Eventually (even with | | | | self-actualization, the activities within your life |
| the typical ups and downs of life), those that find | | | | becomes your addiction. You begin living a life |
| themselves in this stage of human development, | | | | where you can't wait to wake up in the morning |
| have realized self-actualization. | | | | and continue what you were doing yesterday. |
| Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs theory | | | | You become filled with joy, as your life takes on |
| utilized a pyramid to demonstrate the ascending | | | | the role of helping or assisting others, giving you |
| sets of needs that human beings work to fulfill as | | | | that warm fuzzy feeling inside. Finally, you know |
| they move through their development. On the | | | | that when you turn in for the night, you made a |
| bottom of the pyramid are the basic needs, and | | | | significant difference in the world, and that you will |
| as one fulfills these needs he/she ascends to the | | | | do the same tomorrow. This is self-actualization. |
| next level of the pyramid or the next stage of | | | | This is living inside of your purpose. Sadly, few of |
| human development until he/she gets to the final | | | | us every reach this stage of human development |
| stage (a stage that few human beings every get | | | | or find our purpose because we are too |
| to: self-actualization). Now, I'm not going to delve | | | | consumed with the distractions going on outside |
| into Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs theory in detail. I | | | | of ourselves and not about what is going on |
| leave that research up to you, but I want to | | | | within. |
| focus on self-actualization and how the ascension | | | | Do understand that self-actualization is not an end |
| to this level of human development will lead you | | | | to your human development, but rather a high |
| to uncovering your life's purpose. | | | | level conversation about who and what one has |
| Self-Actualization's Role In Finding Our Purpose | | | | to do be fully self-expressed in this world. |
| You see, what made me different from most of | | | | Throughout history, society has had great |
| the people that I grew up with was not my | | | | introspective thinkers such as Plato and Socrates, |
| "intelligence," no it was my willingness to follow my | | | | who asked thought provoking questions pertaining |
| natural curiosity to new experiences until I found | | | | to humanity's interaction with life and its sense of |
| something that really caught hold of my spirit (my | | | | purpose. We seem to have lost that inquisitive |
| purpose). My curiosity led me to joining the United | | | | nature in our society, as we constantly consume |
| States Air Force, which took me all over the | | | | a steady diet of entertainment and materialism. |
| world in my late teens-early twenties, working for | | | | My question to you is, are these distractions |
| large and small companies, persevering through | | | | providing you with the kind of life that you want, |
| school to achieve a Ph.D., writing and publishing a | | | | one where you are fully self-expressed, one |
| book, teaching in college, buying a home, starting | | | | where you can't wait for the next day to begin? |
| a family, and starting a personal leadership and | | | | If the answer is no, I challenge you to allow your |
| organizational development firm. Now you must | | | | natural curiosity to guide your life. I guarantee, |
| realize that all of these experiences were not in | | | | that along the way, you will find what drives you |
| my predicted future, but unlike many of my | | | | and what inspires you, leading you to your |
| childhood friends, I chose to ask, answer, and be | | | | purpose. |
| guided by the answers to the following questions | | | | |