#479 "And How's That Working for You?"

     Think what you may of "Dr. Phil", his famous saying does cut to the heart of the matter. If one's life feels chronically suboptimal, then change is required. And don't expect change to come from anywhere other than YOU yourself. There may not be much that you can do about your material or physical circumstances, but your ATTITUDE - WHO you are, moment-by-moment, is ENTIRELY up to you and you alone.
     Such a fundamental shift in attitude - in one's state of being - is neither instant, nor is there linear progress, but as in any intelligent training program or practice, progress is progressive & inevitable. See: http://mindfulnessforeveryone.blogspot.ca/2013/11/435-right-effort-does-not-take-but.html

Tamas Dezso photography   www.tamas-dezso.com

#449 Advanced Self-development: Self-actualization, Self-transcendence & Personal Wisdom

     "Advanced self-development is characterized by mature self-awareness, self-insight, openness to experience, open-mindedness, comfort with ambiguity, & cognitive complexity in terms of self & others. These personal qualities represent an integrated type of self-development that is considered to be a form of actualization tendency.

     The concept of self-actualization ... refers to a developmental process that involves the actualization or full use of one’s abilities or potential. ... the most agreed upon attributes of self-actualization ... include: meaning in life, positive self-esteem, personal responsibility, self-awareness, intimacy, empathy, realistic perceptions, insight, and resistance to undue social pressure. ... the construct of self-actualization is represented by two essential traits: openness to experience and self-reference or centeredness. 'The first depicts interest in varied experiences for its own sake (interest or pleasure) whereas the second describes awareness and consciousness of what is taking place in one’s personal experience.' Thus ... self-actualization is 'a process through which one’s potential is developed in congruence with one’s self-perception and one’s experience.' 

     Self-transcendence is the ability to see oneself & the world in a way that is not hindered by the boundaries of one’s ego identity and, thus, it involves a heightened sense of meaning and connectedness with others and with the world. 'Being able to detach from the external definitions of the self and dissolving rigid boundaries between self and other allows for self-transcendence.' Self-transcendence is considered by wisdom researchers to be a consequence of advanced self-development or self-actualization posited that the capacity for self-transcendence is an aspect of ego growth that is motivating during each developmental period and, thus, it can be realized at any age through practice and mature coping. The key is “having a strong identity”.  

     In summary, self-actualization involves advanced self-development or actuation of growth, whereas self-transcendence involves an ability to expand or transcend the boundaries of one’s ego identity. Together, self-actualization and self-transcendence include a rich form of self-knowledge and awareness that is characterized by openness, self-reflection, and insight based in a mature identity that is not hampered by ego preoccupation. Thus, these two attributes encompass or provide a pathway to personal wisdom.

       Beaumont SL. Identity processing and personal wisdom: An information-oriented identity style predicts self-actualization and self-transcendence. Identity: An International Journal of Theory and Research 2009; 9(2): 95-115.

 

diadra   www.dpreview.com

 

#429 To Affect the Quality of the Day

     “Mindfulness practice means that we commit fully in each moment to being present. There is no 'performance.' There is just this moment. We are not trying to improve or to get anywhere else. We are not even running after special insights or visions. Nor are we forcing ourselves to be non-judgmental, calm, or relaxed. And we are certainly not promoting self-consciousness or indulging in self-preoccupation. Rather, we are simply inviting ourselves to interface with this moment in full awareness, with the intention to embody as best we can an orientation of calmness, mindfulness, and equanimity right here and right now.”

      “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” 
 
      “To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts.” Henry David Thoreau

        Kabat-Zinn J. “Wherever you go, there you are. Mindfulness meditation in everyday life.” Hyperion, NY, 1994. 

#375 Self-development, Self-knowledge, Wisdom & Overcoming Self-centeredness

     "Quests for self-realization, self-actualization, maturity, & autonomy, and even the quest for wisdom might initially be motivated by a desire for a stron­ger self, yet it is precisely through the process of self-development & self­ knowledge that people start to realize the illusory nature of the phenomenal self. 

     The self is not a substance, an unchangeable essence, or an "individual," but a construct that is created through social interaction. According to the liberative model of adult development, the self may be thought of as a construct of attachments & aversions, which need to be transcended. Self-transcendence can be achieved through nonattachment, patience, and in particular self-observation and self-knowledge. A person in search of wisdom will eventually come to the realization that what is conven­tionally called the 'self,' the 'I,' or the 'ego' is an illusion that enables one to construct a stable image of oneself. It is the attachment to the self that creates the ego. Through the practice of self-examination, self-reflection, & mindfulness the ego grows quiet, which allows a glimpse into reality beyond the self and consequently results in greater wisdom.

     It should be noted that wise people's selflessness is not equivalent to low self-esteem or low self-confidence. Maslow even maintained that 'the best way to transcend the ego is via having a strong identity'. A dialectical relationship exists between selflessness and self-knowledge insofar that only individuals who know who they are can over­come their self-centeredness."

         Ardelt M. Self-development through selflessness: The paradoxical process of growing wiser. in Wayment HA, Bauer JJ eds. Decade of behavior. American Psychological Association, Washington, DC, 2008.

     More from Ardelt's chapter: http://www.johnlovas.com/2013/07/wisdom-awareness-self-transcendence.html