Every individual is
born with certain potentials, gifts or talents he has received from the nature.
These potentials can be in areas of logical, linguistic, spatial, musical, physical-kinesthetic,
intrapersonal, interpersonal etc. However they are in the seed form and need to
be identified and developed.
We strive hard to
fulfil our various kinds of needs like bodily needs, mental development needs, needs
related to social acceptance and self-esteem but very rarely look towards our
other most important need; the need to actualize our potentials. As the un-fulfilment
of other needs creates discomfort within a person, so too the un-fulfilment of
the need to actualize our potentials.
A person may have the
potential of becoming a great musician
and have deep interest in music, but due to external factors he is be pushed to
become an engineer, doctor or CA as those career fields appears to be more
lucrative. Taking this direction can be dangerous for this person because he
has overlooked his need to actualize his potentials. There is no surprise then
why majority of working people are dissatisfied with their jobs despite having all
materialistic comfort in their life. They find no joy and interest in their
work, its challenges are perceived as burden and organizations have to
constantly device new ways of motivating their employees.
Actualization of
potentials also has a spiritual dimension. It leads one to the state of
self-transcendence, a state where person become so engrossed in the activity or
work that he losses sense of self and time. Being in that state is always
energising and enlightening and each of us has some time or the other
experienced it in our own life. This is also what Lord Krishna indicated to in
Bhagwat Gita when he remarked, “Yoga: Karmsu Kaushalam” (perfection in work is
yoga).
