In the next section of the book they talk about self-actualization and peak experiences. Self-actualization being "...the desire for self-fulfillment, namely, for the tendency for him to become actually what he is potentially." Psychologist Abraham Maslow believes that only 1% of us ever get there and the rest of us can hope for peak experiences - "moments of intense joy, wonder, awe, and ecstasy". These are the experiences that inspire us and transform us.
They have a pretty long list of characteristics that make up a self-actualized person and they ask you to go through the list to determine which you already have and which you would like to have.
I picked out 8 that I would like to have and these are two of the ones I would like to work on:
-"are spontaneous and creative, appreciating all experiences, both good and bad"
-"have a sense of humor and can laugh at things beyond their control"
I'm pretty sure I've mentioned before that I'm a creature of habit. I think a lot of runners are. We get into our routines with our running and forget or don't want to change it up. I'm like that and not just about running. I have tend to do that with food as well. I've always been the "if it ain't broke, why fix it" type.
Although I find comfort in routine, I know it can make me stale and complacent too and I don't want that in any area of my life. So I want to be more of a fly by the seat of her pants kind of girl. Signing up for the 12 Hour race on New Year's Eve was a part of that. Ooh boy, is that scary. But I also know that it will push me out of my comfort zone and that can't be a bad thing. And if it goes wrong, I'll just have to appreciate the experience for what it was and learn from it. However, I hope that by the time it rolls around, I'll have trained creatively enough that I will be fine with it. ;)
But seriously, I really need to explore my creative side more. I've been neglecting my photography and arts & crafts projects since I started running. I miss them. Not enough to give up running but I need to find some balance to do both. (speaking of peak experiences...this is a photo I took in Maui of Iao Needle on the infamous 40th birthday trip that started my transformation)
And finally, I hope that I don't take myself to seriously during this or any other project I take on. Not that I won't give them my best effort but I'm sure there will be a few stumbles along the way, especially if...no, when I become more spontaneous! I hope I can laugh about them instead of getting frustrated and throwing in the towel.
Hopefully, these characteristics will lead me to have many, many peak experiences in the years to come.
P.S. You can read their blog here (lots of fun posts), and follow them on Facebook here.
No comments:
Post a Comment