What exactly is self-realization?
I’m sure you’ve already heard of the term self-realization. However, do you know what it is really about? Do you know about its importance?
Well, let’s start by saying that this term is universally used—both in Indian philosophy and religions as well as in the western world.
To put things as simply as possible, let’s define self-realization as a term which stands for reaching one’s full potential as an individual.
It’s achieving everything you are capable of, without even knowing it.
It is becoming one with your universal self, reaching a deeper level of insight into your true self, becoming one with your spirit and opening your mind and heart to new horizons and views you never knew existed.
Self-realization is reaching a level of self-consciousness which gives you the opportunity to become the best possible version of yourself.
It is reaching a new, undiscovered level of self-realization, self-exploration and self-reflection.
It is getting to know your true self and liberating your spirit from the limitations of this world.
In modern psychology, self-realization stands at the top of the hierarchy of needs, meaning it is the crown of human experience.
Self-realization comes after psychological needs, safety needs, the need for love and belonging and self-esteem needs.
Being at the peak of the pyramid, self-realization is clearly the most complex need and the one you can focus your energy on once you meet all of your other, more basic, needs.
However, none of this means that self-realization is impossible to attain because it is something you can easily achieve if you just want it badly enough and if you know what steps to follow.
That is exactly why we are giving you these 10 ways to success, which will definitely help you on your path toward self-realization.
How To Successfully Achieve Self-Realization?
1. Find time for yourself
The first step in the process of achieving self-realization is finding time for yourself.
I know that you, just like the rest of us, live a busy life and that your every day is probably pre-scheduled which leaves you little or no time to be alone with your thoughts and which makes your soul tired.
I bet you assume that there is no way for you to find some you time next to all the obligations you have but this is something you have to do if you want to achieve greatness.
Where I’m advising you to make time for yourself, I am not talking about taking a nap, exercising or being with friends or family.
It means you shouldn’t put your focus on relaxing only your body but your soul and mind as well.
I’m telling you to find time for self-introspection, time to think about yourself, your past, your present, your future, your potential and your abilities.
If you want to attain self-realization, you need to understand the importance and the impact of your thoughts and emotions and give them enough space to come to life.
You need to find the energy to dedicate to yourself completely, without anyone or anything interfering with you or taking your attention away from what is important.
2. Step out of your comfort zone
You might not see this but the truth is that all of us live the life we’re used to living, including you.
Modern era has turned us into pre-programmed, senseless robots who follow orders and take actions without even being fully aware of them.
The truth is that you have some habits which determine your every day: you hang out with the people who are familiar to you, you go out to the same places, you wake up, you work and you go to sleep…
And that is exactly some of the things stopping your self-realization from coming true.
That is why you can start by asking yourself the following questions: When was the last time you asked yourself if you are really enjoying the life you’re currently living?
Do you live by your own personal choices or do you go on, day by day, without really thinking about your actions, just because you think they are right and just out of habit?
Well, if you want to achieve self-realization, you simply have to find the bravery to step out of your comfort zone and to start living the life you really desire instead of the life you want.
You have to find the courage to get rid of all the negativity and pessimism, to cut off all toxic people and to break ties with everyone and everything putting you down.
You have to find the strength to break all of your negative habits and start forming new patterns which will fulfill you and make you the person you aspire to be.
3. Get to know yourself
The next step in the process of self-realization is getting to know your true self.
The sad reality is that most of us don’t have a clue who we actually are and know even less about who we want to become.
What are your hidden motives and desires? Your deepest fears and insecurities? Your wildest dreams and hopes?
What parts of yourself do you like and dislike?
What are the things you would like to change about yourself and about your life in general, if you had the chance to?
What parts of you really belong to you and what are the ones you created to fulfill other people’s expectations? Who are you?
What are the things that set you back? The things that move you and motivate you to be better? What is it that prevents you from attaining self-realization?
These are all the questions you need to ask yourself before expecting any bigger changes to occur.
And most importantly, the questions you need to answer as honestly as possible.
Of course, you can’t have all the answers right away, on your first try.
Instead, you need to dig deep inside yourself and you need to focus a lot of your time and energy on introspection and on questioning yourself.
4. Be at peace with yourself
Once you finally get to the bottom of yourself and find out some new things about the person you actually are and the person you aspire to be, it is time to acquire peace with those people and to put them in sync mode.
The only effective way to do this is to accept yourself for who you really are.
It is to become completely aware of all of your flaws and virtues, of all of your bad and good sides.
If you want to achieve self-realization, you first need to accept your past self and leave that person behind.
Nobody is perfect and the last thing you should be doing is judging yourself for some mistakes you’ve previously made.
Don’t get me wrong—this is not me telling you to pamper yourself or to keep finding justification for some of your errors.
It is just some advice for you to accept the past, to be aware of the fact that you can’t change it, to let it go and move on from it.
Being at peace with yourself also means being aware of your full potential and all of your setbacks.
It is being honest with yourself about the person you are.
And yes, it also includes changing yourself.
However, these changes should come from within, so forget about fitting into someone else’s imaginary standards or filling society norms.
Instead, create your own set of moral values and worldviews and stick to them because they are the only things that matter.
5. Free yourself from boundaries
All of us have deeply-rooted insecurities and that little voice at the back of our head telling us that we can’t make it.
Of course, it depends on whether you’ll let that voice and those demons take over you completely and assure you that you are good for nothing or if you’ll defeat them and win yourself over by proving that you can accomplish everything you set your mind to.
No, these aren’t just some empty phrases you need to hear to boost your ego and improve your self-confidence.
This is reality because in most cases, the only person preventing us from reaching our full potential is ourself.
The only boundaries we have are the ones in our head, the ones we created and the ones we allowed the world to impose on us.
So, the next step on the path to achieving self-realization is getting rid of those imaginary boundaries.
It’s liberating yourself from thinking that you aren’t good enough or that some things aren’t meant to be yours.
It is understanding that your life and destiny are in your hands.
That you are the creator of your own happiness and that you have the chance to make things better for yourself, even though you are not aware of it right now.
It’s freeing yourself from pessimism and negativity that are only bringing you down.
It’s changing your mindset from thinking that you can’t do something into being convinced that you can do whatever you want.
6. Have faith
And the only way to do so is to have faith.
It doesn’t matter whether you believe in God, in your guardian angels or in destiny, what is important is to firmly believe that this divine force will get you closer to your goals, to believe in the balance of the universe.
It is to have faith that everything happens for a reason and in perfect timing.
To have faith in a better tomorrow and in the fact that things always find a way of working themselves out.
However, if you want to achieve self-realization, one of the crucial things you need is to have faith in yourself.
To believe that you are predestined to achieve great things and that you have what it takes to reach your full potential.
It is to have faith that you are capable enough and strong enough and that you will make it, no matter what!
7. Get in touch with your spiritual self
When it comes to self-realization, your final goal is to accomplish synchronization between your mind, body and soul.
However, for you to do that, you first need to dedicate to your spiritual side and to find your inner peace.
So, the next step to achieving self-realization is understanding the importance of spirituality.
It is understanding the needs and desires of your soul and putting those above your body.
It’s letting go of all of your physical cravings and becoming one with your inner self.
It’s listening to what your heart and gut have to say and following them toward liberation.
What you need to do is wake up your inner self and develop your inner power and strength.
Instead of doing what your body wants, start feeding your mind and spirit for once.
Instead of exercising in the gym, train yourself to acquire calmness and to become more tolerant, positive and patient.
Instead of observing yourself as a body which has a mind, start looking at every living creature, including yourself, as an eternal soul which is just given a physical body that is nothing but temporary.
Always have in mind that the mind and the soul are the things reigning over your body—not the other way around.
8. Increase focus
If you really want to attain self-realization, one of the crucial things needed is to set clear goals for your future self and to put all of your energy into them.
However, you can never reach your goals until you define them, can you?
That is why you have to come to terms with the things you really want from life and from yourself.
You have to be determined and completely focused on your plans, without allowing anyone or anything to be a distraction along the way.
Understand what is worthy of your time and efforts and try your best not to waste your energy on anything else.
I know that sometimes it’s hard to keep your undivided attention and concentration on a single task but that is something you’ll learn to do.
Just think of your mind as a muscle which you need to train and keeping focus as a skill you’ll master.
First and foremost, start with baby steps.
Set yourself small, reachable goals and exercise putting all of your focus and mental energy on them until you attain them.
The moment you see that you’ve accomplished your first small goal, your self-esteem will increase and without even noticing it, you’ll start believing in yourself and the things you can accomplish.
Before you know it, your focus will be increased and you’ll be closer to self-realization than you ever have been.
9. Work on yourself
There can’t exist successful realization where there isn’t self-improvement.
That is exactly why you have to put all of your effort into becoming the best possible version of yourself, at all times.
Instead of being idle and satisfied with little things, always expect more of yourself.
Slowly, step by step, start pushing yourself to overcome all the barriers you think you have.
Remember that people don’t become better overnight.
Working on yourself and improving yourself is a process which takes devotion and all of your energy.
However, what is important is to never give up. Whatever you set your mind to, you’ll find many obstacles in your way.
Nevertheless, you have to look at them as challenges and as tests of your mental strength.
See them as opportunities to show yourself that you can do whatever you set your mind to and as tough but valuable lessons on how to be better.
Remember that every new day is an opportunity for improvement and every moment you spend not working on yourself one way or another is a wasted moment.
10. Start meditating
When you’ve successfully accomplished everything mentioned above, it’s time to turn to what is a part of every self-realization process and that is meditation.
Meditation is a technique that will help you clear your mind and practice mindfulness and train focus and attention.
You might think of meditation as a waste of time but trust me—there cannot exist self-realization where there doesn’t exist this approach to training your mind and soul.
Of course, having an empty mind is difficult to accomplish at first but there exist numerous meditational techniques for beginners in which you can partake and before you know it, you’ll see significant progress.
Besides having a beneficial effect on your mental health and helping you reach self-realization, be aware that meditation is also great for your entire body and soul and that it brings numerous short- and long-term benefits to your entire system.
However, its biggest advantage is freeing yourself and liberating your mind and soul and that is exactly what you need if self-realization is your final goal.
