From The Daily Dialogue
From The Daily Dialogue
Broadcast of 9/22/98
Subject: [DailyDialogue #265] Self-Actualization
"Self-actualizers are independent of the good opinion of other people."
- Dr. Wayne Dyer, referring to the work of Abraham Maslow
A small percentage of people in our culture do not run their lives on the basis of appearances. This may come as a surprise, as spin doctors seem to be everywhere, especially in the media.
Most of us weren't raised to be self-actualizers. This gives us the opportunity to bootstrap ourselves into higher levels of functioning. Partnering brings frequent opportunities to test ourselves by telling the truth rather than managing it, and by choosing our values rather than attempting to please.
I remember working on a logging crew as a teen-ager. I was working behind a large bulldozer as we cleared a swath of forest on a steep hillside to build a road. The foreman came by and looked over the job. Down the hillside, he spotted a large log that I had overlooked in the thick brush. He asked, "Why didn't you get that one, wouldn't the winch-line reach it?" The log was probably worth several hundred dollars even in the 60's.
I was sorely tempted to say that it was too far from the road to reach. But, in a memorable moment I said, "We could have gotten that log and I don't know how we missed it. If necessary, we can always extend the winch-line with extra chokers." I realized later that the foreman knew all this, and that he was testing me. I have always felt good about that conversation.
Experiment: Dialogue with your partner about a time when you told the truth when it seemed easier to manipulate your story.
Affirmation: We are discovering new reserves of energy as we live in accord with our values.
The Daily Dialogue is published each day of 1998 by e-mail. Copyright 1998, Eddy Brame and Marty Crouch, All rights reserved.
