By Jeff Beals
Take a moment and think back to your college days.
Whether you studied business, public administration, the social sciences, or any number of other academic disciplines, chances are good you read about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Psychologist Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) argued that in order for a person to achieve greatness, he or she must have certain needs met. The needs can be ranked or organized into a hierarchical pyramid.
After a person has satisfied simpler needs, he or she is ready to pursue higher-level behavior until eventually reaching “self-actualization,” the pinnacle of human existence. Self-actualized people pursue intellectual curiosities. They are focused on personal growth, achievement and advancement. They constantly seek new challenges and although they thoroughly enjoy their victories, the joy of success only motivates them to conquer something grander.
Self-actualized individuals not only enjoy life more, they are typically more successful than everyone else. If you want to experience life at the top of the pyramid, here are a few top-producer characteristics, in the spirit of Maslow, you might want to adopt:
Autonomy – They are independent, and despite having healthy relationships with other people, they tend to be self reliant.
Acceptance – They accept other people as they are and the surrounding world as it is. In other words, self-actualized people don’t waste time on things outside their control. They find beauty and wonderment in our everyday world.
Privacy – They have a strong appreciation for privacy. Self-actualized people want time to think and contemplate. They focus heavily on their most significant personal relationships and “go deep” with a few people instead of having lots of superficial friends. That said, they are often well known and admired by many people. They have deep feelings of empathy for humanity but they are often undisturbed by things that upset ordinary folks. They can help other people without getting too emotionally involved and allowing themselves to get pulled down.
Creativity – They are good at coming up with new ideas and place great importance on new ways of looking at existing things.
Action – They like to get things done once the decision is made. When you have so much going on in life and so many exciting things in your head, you don’t want to waste your precious time on this earth as a procrastinator.
Realistic – They see things as they are. They’re not easily fooled or unrealistically idealistic. They are also very good at seeing through phony and dishonest people.
Humor – Their sense of humor is spontaneous, thoughtful and intrinsic to the situation. Their humor steers away from hostility, superiority, and sarcasm. In addition to a philosophical sense of humor, self-actualized people have a great deal of spontaneity.
Ethics – They are highly ethical. They clearly distinguish between means and ends and subordinate means to ends.
Open Minded – They have a fresh appreciation for alternative ideas and avoid stereotypes. Their decision making is more democratic than autocratic, and they are not likely to discriminate against people from different backgrounds. Self-actualized people resist mindless conformity to popular culture or temporary political passions.
Spirituality – They are not always religious in a classic denomination sense, but they tend to be spiritual people.
Transcendence – Perhaps most important, they transcend their environment rather than simply coping with it. Self-actualized people shape the world rather than becoming victims of the world.
While Maslow says only 2 percent of the population will ever experience self-actualization, there’s no law that says the percentage can’t be higher. And there’s no reason you can’t be one of the lucky few.
This message is a liberating one. Self-actualization, or however else you may define success, is always within your grasp. You can manufacture it out of seemingly nothing. To reach Maslow’s pinnacle, you need to adopt certain behaviors and beliefs and make them part of your daily life. You have total control of your life. Success starts with you and ends with you.
Jeff Beals shows you how to find better prospects, close more deals and capture greater market share. Jeff is an international award-winning author, sought-after keynote speaker, and accomplished sales consultant. A frequent media guest, Jeff has been featured in Investor’s Business Daily, USA Today, Men’s Health, Chicago Tribune and The New York Times.”
Here’s Why Should You Choose Jeff Beals as Your Next Speaker:
“Jeff Beals has presented four different topics at five of our internal events in 2016. At each event, the audience of commercial real estate principals and agents was completely engaged and motivated the entire time. Jeff facilitates his training sessions in such a way that each member of the audience was able to relate and understand how to apply it every day in the field. Jeff is brilliant, and we have hired him to continue speaking at our events in 2017!” – Lindsay Fierro, Senior Vice President, NAI Global, New York, NY
“Your workshop was a huge experience for our attendees by giving them the opportunity to improve their work in the critical environment in which we are living today. Your talent as a speaker and your qualities as a person made the difference during your time with us. I would certainly recommend you to anyone who asks.” – Ana Paula Costa, Educational Planner, Febracorp, Sao Paulo, Brazil
I’m in Phoenix and had breakfast earlier this morning with our semi-retired sales representative who is doing some continued work for us here. He attended your sales meeting last week and told me that in 43 years of selling, you were the best he had ever heard. Thanks for a great experience.” – Drew Vogel, President & CEO, Diamond Vogel Paints, Orange City, IA
“Our corporate partnership team had great takeaways regarding how to network smarter while also understanding the importance of our personal brand to current and prospective partners. Jeff does a great job weaving in real-world examples and how you can apply his teachings to growing your business and building long-term partnerships.” – Jason Booker, Senior Director of Corporate Sponsorships, The Kansas City Royals Major League Baseball Team
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