Strategies To Improve Your Life
Whilst researching around a topic I care about; maximising human potential, I found this interesting excerpt from MIT which is “Organized, in part, on the basis of Maslow (1970)”.
“Know Thyself”
This ancient Greek aphorism is inscribed on the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. Writing out (and periodically revising) a personal philosophy or mission statement can help with self-understanding. Knowing yourself and your purpose in life gives you direction. Why do you do what you do? What impact do you hope to have on the world and those you encounter? Knowing the answer to such questions can help keep you grounded and focused on the big picture. It also helps you understand how to prioritize and manage your time.
Physiological
To give the best of yourself, you have to take care of your own health and wellness needs (e.g., consuming adequate amounts of water, eating a wide variety of high-quality foods, getting sufficient sleep and rest, getting an appropriate amount of physical activity).
Safety
This involves ensuring your own personal safety and the safety of those you love and care for. It includes a range of basic needs, such as job security, and ensuring you have taken care of other important security needs (e.g., insuring assets and property, living within your means, saving for the future).
Belonging and Love
Fostering and maintaining healthy relationships with others (e.g., family, friends, mentors, coworkers, colleagues) may include professional affiliation, organizational involvement, and community engagement. Experiences create memories and memories bond people together.
Esteem
Developing new levels of competence and mastery by striving to be the best that you can be results in achievement and independence. These qualities may be recognized and appreciated by others, resulting in reputational status. Reputational status may result in opportunities to “give back” by mentoring others or assuming leadership positions.
Cognitive
To keep your mind active and fresh, seek out opportunities to obtain new knowledge and understanding (e.g., learn a new activity, skill, or sport; attend professional conferences; take classes; read books; write an op-ed or a newspaper, magazine or journal article).
Aesthetic
Attend to the natural beauty in the world around you, whether in nature or human made. Interacting with and caring for the natural and built environment around you allows you to see and experience nature’s splendor and the grandeur of human accomplishment. Moreover, human movement can be beautiful and physical performances can be miraculous. Allow yourself to be awe-inspired and share your enthusiasm and observations with your students and others in your life.
Self-actualization
Striving to realize your own human potential is self-fulfilling. Engaging in personal-growth activities and peak experiences gives value to your life. Set goals that are consistent with your personal philosophy or mission statement and strive to achieve them.
Transcendence
This is actually a centerpiece of being a true educator. It is the selfless act of helping others achieve their own self-actualization, including all of the necessary preliminary steps leading up to it. Be positive, optimistic and grateful for each and every opportunity that you are given, including the opportunity to share your life experiences and knowledge with others.
There’s a lot to unpack here but it’d be a worthwhile endeavour to take a copy of this, write and reflect on the topics on a regular schedule to ensure you’re heading on the right path in life.
