Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Brian Eip Peer Review - Aj Ogden
Brian Eip Peer Review - Aj Ogden
There are many complex issues that exist in the world today. When one problem is solved
it is as if there is an even greater one lurking in its shadow. This is something that is also
occurring in all our lives. We each aspire and have a desire for something more, which carries
the burden of having to overcome problems and learn something new about yourself. What if
that journey is the key to solving the greater problems that exist in society and the world at large?
Perhaps if we embraced the hardships and failures as much as the glory and success and faced
the adversity that comes with the lifelong journey of self-actualization, then we would
Everyone is living a different life. Their minds influenced by past experiences, present
conditions, and future endeavors. In the same manner, there are many ways to achieve self-
actualization. There have been psychological studies based around this phenomenon, one of
which dates back all the way to the 1960s done by Everett L. Shostrom and the Institute of
Therapeutic Psychology. They describe the self-actualized person as someone who can, “tie the
past and the future to the present in meaningful continuity.” Often there are people that argue
that they cannot be successful in something that are pursuing or once pursued due to their Commented [AO2]: “that they are pursuing”
circumstances. They were not born with the right talents or maybe they have just failed so many
times that it just seems like an exercise in futility to even try anymore. It is very true that all of us
have different lives and different ways of going about them, as I stated earlier. However, the key
is not becoming a slave to the events of the past. First and foremost, even those that seem to have
a high aptitude naturally for their field or fields had to put in a considerable amount of work to
achieve that which they set out to achieve. The deck is stacked against us all in different ways,
and no one has reached success without deep introspection, dreaming, and calculating. The past
is meant as a reflection point and not a dwelling point. Thinking about what can be done better
instead of simply wallowing in that instance of failure can propel you closer to your desired
results.
Psychiatrist, Carl Jung talks about this topic of understanding more about one’s psyche in
his book titled, “The Undiscovered Self”. He pinpoints a different terminology called self-
knowledge that states that the mind and the body behave similarly in that although it is
something that we live in and with it is something that we have very little knowledge of if the
proper research has not been done prior. What this shows is that people’s perspective is often
based upon a spontaneous reaction to the things that are presented to them. If the proper
precautions are not taken to assess the situation at hand. That is when people begin to take on the
The simple difference between people that have reached the point of self-actualization in
A writer by the name of Pagan Kennedy wrote an article for the New York Times
chronicling the life of a man by the name of William Styron and his battle with depression in a
time in which there was a harsh stigma attached to such a mental illness. Styron was labeled by
brain scientist, Alice Flaherty as “the great god of depression” due to his deep level of insight
into depression. His book “Darkness Visible” became required reading in some medical schools Commented [AO3]: Italicize or underline instead of
quotation marks
and inspired others to write about their experiences with depressions and other related mental
issues in a time where people that were diagnosed with depression were seen as “pathetic and
even dangerous”. Before dying of cancer in 2006, he had one final message for everyone,
“Everyone must keep up the struggle, for it is always likely that you will win the battle Commented [AO4]: Why is this quote indented as if it
was its own paragraph if the one prior is not resolved?
and nearly a certainty you will win the war. To all of you, sufferers and nonsufferers alike, I send
my abiding love.”
is depressed can have a high understanding of their purpose. William felt that after writing
extensively on the matter, he felt that it was his duty to take on the role as the “guru of
depression”. This shows that one’s fulfillment and ultimate contribution to the world is
dependent on the way in which the utilize their circumstances and not just their circumstances
alone. In Styron’s case, he has shown the dichotomy between succumbing to the mental and
physical ailments that come with depression and fighting to be more and give more in the face of
one’s problems.
I have suffered from much of the same issue. For a very long time I never really liked
myself. I felt hopeless, spiteful, and worst of all suicidal. I wanted more than anything to do
something impactful and inspire other people but at the same time I had given up because I
always felt that I was not good enough. Until I realized one day that doing something great and
creating an impactful legacy comes from the will to do so and not simply from being good at
something. After all, your talent will take you places your character cannot keep you. Since then,
I have made that effort everyday to be something more than I was before and inspire others to do
the same.
So what steps should we take to reach a point of self-actualization in each of our lives?
This of course is not going to concern itself with specific career paths or aspirations. Rather, it is
about the basic principles and behaviors that can be used as a guide for the actions that one takes
Life is essentially random. This is to our advantage however. That means that all it takes
is one moment, one person, one idea to change the course of your entire life. There is a story told
in the self-improvement book, “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill that talks about how a
mining company had sold off all their equipment for a few hundred dollars after tirelessly
working to mine for gold during the gold rush. The person that purchased the equipment got a
mining engineer to do some research and found out that the only problem was that the owners
were unfamiliar with fault lines and that just mining three feet from where they stopped would
open the vein of gold. This is a common problem that stems from a person’s lack of trust in the
serendipitous nature of the world and even more so, a lack of belief in the thing that they are
doing.
As the book explains, too often people quit due to being “overtaken by temporary
defeat”. Truly believing in what you are doing is what prevents that. I have come to realize in my
own life and other people’s lives, that quitting shows that you never really bought into the idea in
the first place. Again, pointing back to the importance of mindset and perspective. Those that
understand their mission do not have the unfortunately ubiquitous, “believe it when I see it”
mentality. It goes beyond confidence, and into the realm of simply understanding the law. Just as
not feeling the earth’s rotation is not enough evidence to say that it is not happening, the absence
of overwhelmingly vast changes and improvements is not enough to say that improvements are
not being made. Those with a goal that satisfies their long-term fulfillment are always able to see
this progress from even the most minute of occurrences. They also are aware of another
and self-doubt blur your situational awareness. I never wanted to accept offers from others
mainly because I felt that I was not worth it. However, I learned later that the biggest mistake
that you can make is feeling like you are not worth it. You should always grab hold of the
opportunities that align with your goal, especially when someone is willing to take a chance on
you. The more you actively try to better yourself and others through your goals, the more you
realize that people do not always need the best. Sometimes they might not even want that. They
just need someone that is willing to help and learn and be better than before. If you reject
opportunities because you think you “are not ready” then you will never be ready.
Enjoy the process of strengthening yourself. Jordan Peterson in his interview with Lewis
Howes on the School of Greatness Podcast use sports as an example of the one thing that
connects us all. He says that the popularity of sports stems from its dramatization of the “idea of
aim” and on top of that “the pursuit of excellence in pursuit of that aim”. It is common sense to
know that if you do not have something you need, your job at that moment is to get it in
whatever way you deem possible. That same thinking should be applied to your goals and the
something or a variety of things, it requires that you be willing to go through the process of being
woefully ignorant first. Moreover, knowing that that condition is one that changes as naturally as
however. Because this suffering can be justified, and you come out the other end as someone
with newfound knowledge and integrity. Ready to bear the burden of the next challenge that
awaits you. I still have many experiences left in my life. And as a result, have many failures and
pitfalls left as well and they still hurt in spite of my anticipation of them. But, in the end I know
that as long as I stay true to my mission of helping others see the good in themselves, my
suffering is worthwhile. It is as Jordan Peterson says, “…it’s not naive optimism. It’s a very
different thing…things aren’t terrible: they’re brutal, and you are so damn tough you can’t
believe it.”
Works Cited Commented [AO5]: Consistency- Should have italics
bolded if all text is bolded
Hill, Napoleon, Think and Grow Rich the Complete Classic Text, Tarcher/Penguin deluxe
edition, 2008
Howes, Lewis, Responsibility and Meaning, School of Greatness Podcast, Jordan Peterson 8
Jung, Carl, The Undiscovered Self, Little, Brown and Company, 1957
Kennedy, Pagan, The Great God of Depression, 3 Aug 2018. New York Times,
www.nytimes.com/2018/08/03/opinion/sunday/depression-william-styron.html,
Shostrom, L., Everett, An Inventory for the Measurement of Self-Actualization, Education and
I would personally rate this essay draft as a 97%. The reminder that your feelings in the
moment will sway during any point in your life but one of the few ways to stay on your path is to
keep your mind focus on your goal. Accepting what happens around you is the largest hurdle that
I perceive from this essay if that is intentional or not. Life is stated to be random and you just
If I was asked what the topic was in this essay, my reply would be along the lines of
oneself focusing on bettering their own outlook and reactions in life. From the last time I talked
to Brian about his topic, it was more focusing on bettering oneself to contribute in the betterment
of the world. Within the first paragraph I can see that topic but it drifts away from that point. The
only connections to better others in the final paragraph is “as long as I stay true to my mission of
helping others.” The underlying value of bettering oneself to raise others is clearly there but I
personally would have rephrased it or added on to. I say this because you want your reader to
have a mindset of continuing the inquiry in the text produced but from my own reading, it feels
like the ending is composed with some narcissism. The completion of your personal story told
throughout the essay is important but was weighted a bit much on the end.
I would determine this essay to be an exploratory essay due the one short subject that
understandable from the reading but you might want some deeper reasons why somebody feels
like they are unable to do any better. Try to view the text as an advertisement for bettering
oneself as if it was medicine. Wouldn’t you be concerned if someone tried to sell you are
medicine that cured all diseases and double your strength and lost weight? It seems almost too
The focus of having a personal story is beneficial to the essay and is not the main focus.
It does provide a feeling that as the knowledge progresses, so does the personal connections. I do
think the sources were placed in appropriate locations within the text and the sources are the
correct material required for the assignment. Usage and reflection of the sources is understood
The formatting of the essay is almost formatted correctly. The essay should be double
spaced and page numbers should be added to the upper right corners.