How to achieve self-realization

What pleases us, what makes us good, brings fulfillment to our lives. We are motivated by our desires and wants. Every single day, we wake up aiming to make our day a journey toward reaching our goals.

One lives at least for three reasons: to have a house, a car, start a family, pursue education, become a good professional, visit the world-the list is long. Each of these and many more, they are all in people’s minds. Day after day, we try to take one step towards self-fulfillment; however, there aren’t any secret or ready formulas. So, what is the best way to achieve self-fulfillment? Here are some tips in the area in which this article belongs. Keep reading and enjoy!

But what would self-realization be?

Self-actualization is the feeling of completeness in all aspects of life: personal, career, relationships, family, friends, finance, health, education, and spirituality. It’s the completeness type of feeling or the impression that everything you’ve hoped to have has landed in place, and you got most of the things you would like to have or are moving a step closer to having them.

This process, however, should not be mistaken for an ideal life; otherwise, it is impossible to live. Self-realization is when a person feels pleased and fulfilled, even with the imperfections of our lives. It is atop Maslow’s pyramid of human needs, proposed by psychologist Abraham Maslow, because it is something for which all other needs-physiological, safety, relationship, and esteem-have already been overcome.

And how to achieve self-realization?

As we stated, there is no specific recipe for a person to realize self-fulfillment, especially because the factors that can help a person be perfectly satisfied are quite different with each person. However, there are some guidelines that can be quite useful for all of us, provided that we know how to adjust them to our context. Check them below.

1. Know your context

First and foremost, be accurate in making stock of your life. Know how you are and where you would like to go. Take a good look at your existence, your dreams, what makes you happy and what keeps you satisfied. Think about what you already have and what you want to achieve, whether it is for a short time, medium time, or long-term period.

This also serves a critical moment in trying to evaluate what does not bring happiness, what holds you and discourages you. Knowing what we don’t want is equally important so that we can make choices that would make us closer, day by day, to what we understand as happiness.

2. Define your goals

Knowing your current situation will enable you to answer the question: “What do I need to do to be truly happy?” At this stage, what is usually recommended in general is to make over such an answer to this question into objectives, that is, what you want to achieve.

A proper goal should be: S-M-A-R-T, or specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. The more specific and realistic the accomplishment of what you want to achieve, the more you will behave to move toward your goals, monitor your progress, and determine what you have accomplished so far and what remains to be accomplished.

3. Chart your course

Having made this assessment, it’s now time to plan. With your life goals in mind, begin to make plans for achieving them. This stage really requires clear self-knowing of what one can achieve and how long it will take to do it: too many goals set may result in frustration.

Ideally, you should split this one huge goal into several small ones, so that this enormous project will not seem scary, and you will be able to trace the steps. Assign approximate deadlines for every step, but do not be too strict on yourself. There will always be obstacles; maybe you will have to recalculate the route a few times. That is how it is—at least the road to success has peaks and valleys.

4. Don’t be afraid to take action

With a  personal plan  in hand, it’s time to complete everything that was stipulated within the deadline, write down what was done daily and record how you feel about these small changes and improvements. An important point during this process is to stay focused  , always remembering what is most important and staying motivated to achieve your goals.

At the end of every stage, analyze your performance, correct what needs to be corrected and, if necessary, seek help. Nobody is a deity or perfectly self-sufficient, and we all need external input occasionally. Do not wait until things get worse or until your planning is delayed before asking for help. This is the meaning of networking, that is, building and nurturing a solid network of contacts to enhance mutual assistance and partnerships.

5. Celebrate your achievements and start over

When you reach your goal, celebrate your achievement and reflect on everything you did. In other words, provide self-feedback , as it will help you better see where you excelled and where you weren’t so good.

Take the positive aspects of this experience, thinking not only about what you achieved but also about what you learned during this journey. Furthermore, after achieving a goal, there is nothing better than starting new plans. Start the cycle over, define your new goal, divide it into goals, plan the tasks and stay focused.

The secret of successful people is precisely this: as soon as they achieve something, they already think about the next steps they will take. Therefore, it is important not to set limits on your achievements. Always give your best and seek to progress continuously and increasingly. This is the best way to escape your comfort zone and finally find self-fulfillment!