STRATEGIZE TO ACTUALIZE: Designing Your Growth & Success Plan

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SUCCESS REWARDS THE BOLD

To reach your highest, most purposeful potential, you must adopt a strategic mindset; one that sets you on course with a plan, with a purpose, with passion! But first, a few questions need to be reflected upon: 

WHO AM I?

WHAT DO I WANT?

WHAT IS MY PERSONAL & SIGNATURE PATH TO SUCCESS?

AM I ON THE PATH?

HAVE I DEVIATED OFF THE PATH?


To become fully you is to become self-actualized you! Self-actualization, a term coined by Humanistic psychologist, Abraham Maslow, refers to living life to one's fullest potential. It is less about a destination and more about setting forth on a personal journey of adventure, discovery and growth. The benefit of taking yourself on this adventure is that you deepen your relationship with yourself. 

In addition, others who enter your aligned energy sphere will potentially benefit as well. We simply bring our best to others and our world when we feel internally aligned. We no longer feel wired and tired, exchanging these feelings for CHARGED & ENERGIZED! How much more productive can and will you be feeling charged and energized? THE WORLD NEEDS YOUR GOOD ENERGY! 

Self-actualization also involves connecting with your bucket list, which holds the experiences and achievements you deeply wish to have in your lifetime. For some, key elements of the bucket list were known to them since childhood or adolescence. For others, it's a work in "discovery" progress and reveals itself as you actively engage with your life and your world, embracing new experiences and challenges. With that said, if you fall within the latter group, then you may be thinking or questioning how you can design a strategic life mindset if you don't exactly know what this entails. Good question. Here's the response —> 

WE EACH HAVE AN INTERNAL NAVIGATION SYSTEM. WHEREAS WE MAY NOT ALWAYS KNOW OR SEE THE DESTINATION POINT, WE DO TEND TO HAVE A  RADAR THAT DETECTS WHETHER OR NOT WE ARE SATISFIED WITH THE PATH WE'RE ON. 

Unfortunately, for too many, life and its plethora of experiences result in the muting of this navigation system. It's still there but it has become quiet. We simply lose our way, either partially or fully, because our internal system has now become tapped into another's system or others' expectations of who we should be and what we should do! We simply stopped trusting and connecting with ourselves. While another's perspective may provide valuable feedback, it should only be used as a guide. We, each, are in possession of our personal playbook. By tapping into it, we are tapping into our wise self. 

A solid method to uncovering your purpose is to take inventory of what places your mind and body directly in the zone or flow state. The flow state was the brainchild of clinical researcher, professor and psychologist, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Ph.D., a major contributor to and influencer of the emerging field of positive psychology. 

Being in the zone is a coveted brain destination and mental state of mind. It is experienced as a simultaneous state of effortless execution, while maintaining pinnacle feelings of calmness, awareness and focus. 

According to Csikszentmihalyi, we are happiest when in a state of flow or deep absorption, as characterized by the following:

  • Our focus and concentration are enhanced.
  • There is clarity of the objective and goals, with an immediate feedback loop (meaning we know how we are progressing).
  • There is the perception of time either experienced as speeding up or slowing down.
  • The experience is intrinsically rewarding.
  • There is a merging of one's awareness and the action; losing self-consciousness.
  • There is an integration, or balance, between challenge and skill set.
  • We feel a powerful sense of control of the activity.
  • When exiting the zone, we feel a sense of fulfillment, accomplishment, and/or calm.

THE PATH TO SELF ACTUALIZATION THROUGH A SUCCESS ORIENTED MINDSET

While knowing what places your brain in the zone or flow state is important, it will not necessarily lead you down the path of success. Your success will be determined by what you do with this knowledge. Your potential to thrive will be directly linked to the coordinated efforts of your brain's frontal and prefrontal lobes, specifically your executive functions. If the various functions are in sync, then you and your potential will be unstoppable. If not, and the weaker one(s) is/are not compensated for, then you will find yourself in an endless loop of challenges. Helping to reduce the effects of the weaker skills will go a long way toward success. A strategic mindset requires the management and regulation of your thoughts, habits and behaviors, keeping in mind the formula for long-term success follows this path: 


IF YOU ARE DETERMINED, YOU WILL ACHIEVE IT

IF YOU ARE CONSISTENT, YOU WILL KEEP IT



When thoughts are generated and maintained through intention and purpose, they will naturally align with your goals and items on your personal bucket list. When thoughts are permitted to run roughshod, like an unsupervised child on the playground chasing every shiny object, then the outcome is typically dissatisfaction and disconnection. But let's take a step back and reconnect with the wandering child on the playground. Is this always undesirable? Absolutely not! We all mind wander. Our brains naturally do this! Sometimes chasing that shiny or attention-grabbing object (or thought) helps us tap into our creativity. A healthy balance of goal focused activities weaved into some mind wandering can be the right formula for creativity and inspiration.

Getting your thoughts on paper is one of the best thinking and organizing tools available. Research has well documented that writing and/or journaling in combination with self-reflection help to create powerful insights, which can lead to growth and change. We learn by writing. We strategize better when we see our thoughts on paper. A good journal prompt may be: 

WHAT KIND OF LIFE AM I DESIGNING FOR MYSELF? 

You are simply your greatest investment. Self-reflection and taking the time to connect with what really matters to you and strategizing the steps to achieve a life of engagement and purpose will help fulfill the items on your bucket list. By living authentically and creatively, knowing yourself, establishing deep and meaningful relationships, having an accurate and helpful perception of your environment and bringing your best energy wherever you go, you will be on the path to living your most-actualized & satisfied life. 

HONOR YOURSELF

HONOR YOUR VISION

HONOR YOUR LIFE


The information presented in this blog is intended for general knowledge and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment. As with most things in life, there isn't a magic pill or "cure-all" but there are strategies to help regain control of your life.

Let's connect:

FACEBOOK: Marie Therese Rogers

 Life in Focus

 LINKEDIN:  Marie T. Rogers, Ph.D. 

 INSTAGRAM: Mariethereserogers

YOU ARE ALSO INVITED TO LISTEN TO THE LIFE IN FOCUS PODCAST ON APPLE AND OTHER STREAMING DEVICES. 

LIFE IN FOCUS: INTRODUCTION TO EF PODCAST









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