Self-Actualization Is Almost Right
I enjoy productivity and personal growth. Something about it just feels right. But, if I’m honest, something about it also feels off.
When I google “self-actualization,” here’s the definition it gives me:
“realizing your full potential, achieving personal growth, and becoming the most authentic version of yourself.”
And when I google “human optimization,” I’m told it’s:
“the systematic process of improving physical health, mental performance, and overall well-being.”
Growth, improvement, movement towards good and better; these are obviously good things. What’s not obvious is why. If you stick with me, I’ll come back to this “why.”
When I said I like productivity and personal growth, I was underselling it. I’m not sure that I can say I’m a full-on personal growth junkie, but I’m close. And my love of learning and implementing the actions and mindsets of personal growth keeps growing the older I get.
Upon reflection, I’ve noticed that my drive and ambition to grow are intertwined with a longing for my life to matter. I want to shape and influence things. I want my life to have an impact on the world. I’m not sure if that resonates with your experience, but I have a hunch that the ache underneath it all isn’t unique to me.
As a Christian, there are times when I’ve wondered if this ache and these desires are a bad thing. It sometimes feels like I’m wanting to be “bigger.” Or, to use Christian language, I sometimes suspect these desires are me seeking personal glory. Or that I’m trying to find a way to get so good at my life that I don’t feel a sense of my neediness and dependence on God.
Are my desires for personal growth bad? I’ve learned that the answer is complicated and nuanced. But my growing conviction is that it’s a question worth wrestling through. We can’t afford vague, cloudy thinking about the weight of our lives and what we should do with our days. There is too much at stake.
That brings me back to the earlier “why.” There is a reason why seeking personal growth is good. And it’s a big reason. A foundational reason. A reason rooted in God’s original design.
The urge to matter, to take charge of our lives, to influence and shape the world around us is an echo of the true Lore. From the beginning, God designed and purposed for us to co-rule and reign with him over all of creation.
This one epic truth has many implications for how we should think about our lives and what we should do with our lives. There’s too much to talk about in this one newsletter, but one of the main goals of this newsletter is to mine the riches of this truth and why it matters.
My ultimate goal is to encourage us to uncover the error of godless self-actualization so we can embrace a better, more motivating, more empowering way to understand and pursue our goals, dreams, visions, ambitions and desires in light of who God is, what He has done, and who he has made us to be.
Keep an eye out for my next post cause we’re going to talk about what it means to rule and reign, what’s at stake if we don’t, and how our lives are full of dangerous and exhilarating potential.
