When an individual becomes the best version of oneself, then it is said that he/she is aware of his/her full potential. Self-actualization is the term brought in prominence by Abraham Maslow and as self-actualization also says that a person should be aware of his/her full potential (D’Souza 2018). The term self-actualization and self-realization are used interchangeably.
It is a fact that an individual needs motivation in life to achieve goals. People who have realized their potential are mostly satisfied and do not focus on negative aspects of life. It is commonly said that people who self-actualize are seen to be tolerant, lively, compassionate, and independent thinkers. It is estimated that only one percent of people self-actualize in the world (D’Souza 2018).
The most important question arises here: how can one realize his/her potential. Firstly, overthinking is considered a hurdle which restrains an individual to realize one’s potential. Overthinking can be destructive. To contain it, try to write things down and challenge those thoughts with rationality. Secondly, if a person is motivated and has hope, then that person is close to self-actualization. People advise others to be positive all the time but it is alright to feel not right sometimes as ups and downs are part of life but the problem comes when negativity is dominant in the personality. If a person is demotivated or feels negative then he/she should loudly tell one thing to his/her inner self i.e. I didn’t come this far to only come this far.
Sometimes, being in the wrong place is problematic so it is important to understand your personality type i.e. for introverts, it is suitable to work alone while extroverts should work in a team. So, a person should work in an environment which is according to one’s interest as well as personality type.
It is important to give yourself some alone time daily and think about your interests, strengths and where you will be in the next couple of years. When your head would be clear on these things you would have a clear path with clear goals in your mind.
Getting out of your comfort zone is an important aspect. Just setting goals and identifying interests is not enough, but to actually pursue them is significant. Change is very important in realizing your potential. Sometimes, a person can be uncertain about things but it is a fact that uncertainty is present in nature. The only difference is that its intensity is sometimes low and sometimes high.
In a nutshell, it is not difficult to realize the potential of a person and this can only be realized by that person himself/herself. Most people continue to live in a dilemma but satisfaction and happiness can only be achieved if an individual has achieved self-actualization.
My name is Ahmad Ali and I am a third year undergraduate student of Strategic Studies at National Defence University, Islamabad, Pakistan. I like to write on topics related to International Relations, Psychology, Criminology and much more.
