What is Self-Actualisation?

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Self-Actualisation

Self-actualisation is about becoming the most real, honest and “fully alive” version of yourself, over time. It means using your abilities, living by your values, and growing into your potential, not just chasing approval or ticking boxes.​

What is self-actualisation?

Self-actualisation is the ongoing process of of discovery and development of what a person has inside them; talents, interests, conscience, creativity – as fully as they reasonably can in real life. It is less about being “perfect” and more about living in a way that feels true, meaningful, and self-directed.

It could be said the if Self-Actualisation is the process, then Self-Transcendence is the experience. Self-actualisation is the process of discovering and embodying lost or undiscovered innate traits, in order to become a Fully Functioning Individual.​

Psychologists often describe it as fulfilling one’s potential: doing what one is genuinely capable of, in work, relationships, and inner life, rather than staying small out of fear or habit.

In Maslow’s well-known “hierarchy of needs,” self-actualisation sits near the top. The idea is that it becomes easier to focus on deep growth once basics like safety, relationships, and self-respect are reasonably in place.

This does not mean life must be perfect; it means that when survival is not an urgent daily battle, more energy can go into questions like “Who am I really?” and “What kind of life do I want to create?”.​

How self-actualisation shows up day to day

Common signs include:

• Choosing work, hobbies, or projects that fit one’s real interests and values, even if they are not the most fashionable or approved.​
• Being more honest and natural (less pretending), while still being kind and respectful.​
• Accepting strengths and weaknesses, and using both as material for learning instead of constant self-attack.​
• Caring not only about personal comfort but also about truth, fairness, and the wellbeing of others.​

Simple ways to move toward self-actualisation

• Know your values and gifts: Spend time noticing what feels meaningful, what you are naturally drawn to, and where you have real strengths; let these guide choices more than fear or pure image.​
• Face, don’t flee, growth pain: See discomfort in learning, feedback, or change as part of growing into your potential, not as proof you are failing.​
• Align actions with your “real self”: Take small steps so daily life (how you use your time, how you treat people, what you say yes/no to) matches more closely with who you feel you are inside.​

Put simply, self-actualisation is living less like a copy of what others expect, and more like the clearest, most responsible version of who you really are – and letting that development continue throughout life.

Further Reading​