Do you consider yourself a person of action, a doer, an achiever? Are you an intellectual? A visionary? A maverick? If so, you are a unique breed, especially if you’ve harbored or maintained such an independent mindset deep into your professional life. You see, most of us are born to (or conditioned to) play it safe – at least for a while. It starts with the primal base levels of “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs” – physiological needs such as food, water, shelter, and clothing; safety needs such as employment, health, and property; and love and belonging needs such as friends, family, and a sense of connection. Once these are attained, many people go into a kind of autopilot; they believe that good enough is, well, good enough. They get lazy, perhaps, content to cocoon inside their “comfort zone.”
But not people like you! Here’s what I mean:
For you – for us – another word for comfort zone is “rut.” Yet another synonym might be “prison.” If we stop nurturing our personal and professional development, we might become prisoners to traditional trappings of success: 2-story house, nice car, well-manicured lawn, etc. But for doers, achievers, and visionary mavericks like us, we yearn for more. Deep down, we crave a challenge, even if we suppress the urge to scratch that itch. Even then, we look on with awe and admiration as our friends and professional peers embrace something new. As they take a bold step. Do something surprising. Take on the world. They seem to “have it all” and yet they seek more. They step outside the routine. They climb from their rut. They break free of their self-imposed prison.
Frankly, these inspirational role models aren’t making a desperate play to find success. In fact, they’ve already reached a level of accomplishment many would envy. Rather, they are simply heeding the call to reach the top of Mount Maslow (self-actualization and transcendence). They are daring to work with purpose. To follow their passion. To make a difference.
Self-actualization
Near the top of Maslow’s pyramid is the need for self-actualization. Again, many people never reach this stage, nor put much thought or effort into achieving it. Just what IS self-actualization? Think of it as reaching your full potential. This is the stage where achievers pursue that keen desire to become all they are capable of becoming – particularly in focused pursuits, anything from parenting to artistic endeavors to business success and leadership. It is at the self-actualization level where skills and talents (innate, learned, or developed and mastered) find their manifestation.
Transcendence
Abraham Maslow later subdivided the pyramid’s top section to include transcendence, or spiritual needs. He noted that “transcendence refers to the very highest and most inclusive or holistic levels of human consciousness, behaving and relating … to oneself [and] to … others.” Thus, he saw that transcendence brings a greater sense of fulfillment, a deep sense of connection and purpose that can – by purposeful action – create a higher, more noble, level of achievement.
The Bottom Line:
Some people are content to lead ordinary lives within ordinary comfort zones. Others, however, yearn for more. They seek to become all they can be, via self-actualization and transcendence. Certainly, this upper echelon of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is the realm of visionary mavericks. It’s where achievers hear that call they must heed – an incessant knocking on a door that must be opened. It’s where passion and purpose and pride fully mesh. It’s where fulfillment happens. It’s where leaders dwell. And it’s where lives are changed.
At Sales Xceleration, our licensed Advisors have heard that knocking and seized the opportunity to work with passion and purpose to make a difference for others – in particular for owners of small to mid-sized businesses desperate for fractional sales leadership. If you have this same kind of irrepressible yearning for self-actualization and transcendence in your life as a sales leadership professional, let’s connect. Opportunities are open in all markets. To learn more, click here or contact us at 844.874.7253.
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