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way to maintain their integrity without creating
unnecessary conflict.
     
Use your
intelligence
    SA people work
to do well the things they want to do, no matter how insignificant
those things seem.
    SA people know
that happiness comes from focussing on the task in front of them
now, and doing that task really well.
    There is
tremendous satisfaction in doing everything as well as you can,
even the small, seemingly unimportant things. Doing this keeps your
mind firmly in the present moment, the only time and place where
you can truly be alive.
    The task is not so
important as the creation in yourself of an attitude of excellence,
which is another way of saying living to your full potential.
    You no longer
think that near enough is good enough, that economy of effort and
taking it easy is the best way to live. These are self-limiting
attitudes that will keep you in the realm of mediocrity.
    When you live this
way, every moment becomes the best moment of your life.
     
Make peak experiencing more
likely
    Get rid of
illusions and false notions. SA people learn what they are good at
and conversely what they are not good at.
    Being honest with
yourself, like mindfulness, is a foundation for Self-Actualisation.
SA people are honest, even brutally honest with themselves at every
level of their lives. What they aim for is congruency between their
inner and outer worlds.
    Honesty will
eventually create harmony inside and outside of yourself. Nature
cannot lie to itself, but humans can lie to themselves and create a
false inner world. By ridding yourself of delusion, you come into
greater harmony and alignment with the outside world.
    So, honesty
creates the right conditions to have deep insight into the nature
of the world you live in. This insight leads you to
Self-Actualisation.
     
Know thyself
    SA people ask
themselves; Who am I? What am I? What is good and what is bad for
me? Where am I going? What is my mission/purpose in life?
    Honestly asking
yourself these questions and listening to the answers reveals
something important in your quest to be happy; the defences and
excuses that are keeping you from achieving your full
potential.
    Once you know what
is holding you back, the next challenge is to find the courage to
give them up.
     
Summary of
characteristics
    So what were those
characteristics of SA people again?
    Experience
things fully, vividly, selflessly; On-going choice between safety
and risk; Let your true self emerge; Listen to your own tastes; Use
your intelligence; Make peak experiencing more likely; Know
thyself
     
SA people are like
this
    You will know when
you are making progress towards Self-Actualisation when you can
look honestly at yourself and recognise the following character
traits:
    Realistically
oriented with an efficient perception of reality extending into all
areas of life . SA people are unthreatened and not frightened by
the unknown. SA people usually have a superior ability to reason,
to see the truth.
    Accept oneself,
others and the natural world the way they are. SA people see
human nature as is. They have rid themselves of crippling guilt or
shame; they enjoy themselves without regret or apology, and have no
unnecessary inhibitions.
    Spontaneous in
their inner life, thoughts and impulses . SA people are
unhampered by convention. Their ethics are autonomous, they see
themselves as an individual, and are motivated towards continual
improvement.
    Focus on
problems outside oneself . SA people have a mission in life
requiring much energy, and their mission is their reason to be
alive. SA people are usually serene and worry-free as they pursue
their mission with unshakeable determination.
    Detachment, the
need for privacy . Alone but not lonely, unflappable, retaining
dignity amid confusion and personal misfortunes, objective. SA
people are self starters, responsible for themselves. They own
their behaviour.
    Autonomous,
independent of culture and environment . SA people rely on inner
self for