Human Development

Self-Actualizing

When you reach your 40s, sometimes a little earlier and sometimes a little later, your soul begins to make its presence felt in your life. If you have mastered your deficiency needs and successfully moved through the individuating stage of development, you will start to search for meaning and purpose in your life; you will be looking for a vocation or calling that allows you to fully express your authentic self. Welcome to the self-actualizing stage of development.

Stage of Development: Self-Actualizing

The focus of this stage of development is on meeting our need for self-expression by uncovering our natural gifts and talents.

Span of Life Occurrence

40 years to 49 years of age

SELF-ACTUALIZING

For most people, finding their vocation or calling usually begins with a feeling of unease or boredom about their job, profession or chosen career—with the work they thought would enable them to feel secure by providing them with a good income and prospects for advancement leading to increased wealth, status or power. Uncovering your soul’s purpose not only brings vitality to your life, it also sparks your creativity. You will become more intuitive and spend more time in a state of flow; being totally present to what you are doing, and feeling committed and passionate about your work.

Mastering the self-actualizing stage of development can be challenging, especially if your vocation or calling offers less security than the job, profession or career you trained for earlier in your life. You may feel scared or uncomfortable embarking in a new direction that does not pay the rent or finance your children’s education but does bring meaning and purpose to your life.

Some people find their vocation early, others discover it much later; some spend their whole lives searching. Uncovering and embracing your soul’s purpose is vitally important because it is the key to living a fulfilling life.

Your ability to manage your survival needs will significantly influence your ability to make progress at the self-actualizing stage of development. Knowing you can take care of yourself gives you the confidence you need to explore your self-expression. If you are afraid that you might not be able to survive doing what you love to do, you may deny your soul expression.This will lead to suffering later in life.

Humanity Awareness initiative

Human Development

Surviving

Differentiating

Self-Atualizing

Conforming

Individuating

Integrating

Serviving