EXERCISE 2.4
Self-Actualization
Applying Inspiration
Purpose
To help participants understand self-actualization as a process to use to answer the question What/How/Who do I want to be? in contrast with the process of problem solving, which tends to answer the question What do I want to have/get/achieve?
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70 minutes
Participants will develop a process for building in themselves qualities, states, and behaviors that they have identified as contributing to the success of others. By following the instructions for reflective journaling in response to the selected questions, participants will be able to re-access behavioral and attitudinal resources that were originally inspired in them by others.
Outcomes
Re-connect with some of the feelings of greatness that others have inspired in you and with feelings and/or goals that you would still like to actualize.
Audience
- Intact team
- Unaffiliated group
- Individual working with a coach
Facilitator Competencies 
Moderate to Advanced
Materials
- Applying Inspiration Handout
- Writing paper and pens
Time Matrix
| Activity | Estimated Time |
| List thoughts and feelings about goals, models, and success | 20 minutes |
| Write what you will see, hear, feel when goals are actualized | 30 minutes |
| Write down what has kept you from actualizing them in the past | 10 minutes |
| Notice why it might have been appropriate to have avoided them earlier in life | 10 minutes |
| Total | 70 minutes |
Instructions
1. Distribute paper, pens, and the Applying Inspiration Handout.
2. Ask participants to list their feelings and thoughts about Item 1 on the handout.
3. To respond to Item 2, have them explore the various aspects of what they will see, hear, and feel when they have accomplished their goals.
4. As directed in Item 3, ask them to discuss what has blocked their past efforts.
5. For Item 4, discuss how to develop a six-week plan using what they have discovered in this exercise and the principles of graduated goals, positive self-talk, accountability to an ally, and appropriate celebration at the end of their quest and all along the way!
1. Think back to the stories you know of people who faced serious challenges and whose efforts to overcome them resulted in an inspiring success that impressed you deeply. Notice what the general similarities are between the challenges they faced and your own situation. What is it you must overcome to achieve the goals you want to accomplish? Consider what it was about those people that impressed you and why. What were some of the important qualities and abilities that you admire in them? Revisit how it felt to read or hear or watch their stories being told. List your feelings and thoughts about this in the space provided below.
2. Inspiration is the ability to behave in such a way that other people feel and believe that they too can succeed as you have and can overcome the challenges in their lives. Step 1 was designed to help you reconnect with some of the sources of “Can Do!” enthusiasm you have incorporated from your own past learning. Now imagine how it will feel when you are empowered with more of the qualities and abilities that you admire in these individuals. Write down what you will see, hear, and feel that will be different when you have actualized more of your own capacities in these areas. For instance, “When I am more assertive/expressive I will see looks of surprise on the faces of people who know me as shy. I will hear comments about how I’ve changed, and I will hear more people challenging me, since I will be taking a stand more often. I will feel scared at first but also more congruent and self-respecting, and that will be a relief.
3. Now notice what has prevented you from expressing these qualities and skills in the past, and write down your thoughts in the space provided. Are there any useful ways in which these limits of expression have served you constructively in the past? For instance: “Expressing my opinion as a child often meant hostility and rejection.” Is it still appropriate to observe those limits today? Why? Or why not?
4. Using the thoughts and feelings that you have reactivated in your awareness during this exercise, develop a six-week plan for bringing to life more of what it is you truly want to be. If you have a coach, mentor, or partner in your workgroup with whom you are doing this exercise, review it with him or her, incorporate suggestions, and meet with him or her at least once a week to report and reinforce your progress.