What is the ideal life?

Maslow’s hierarchy is a psychological term that ranks our needs according to their importance in our lives. The lowest is the need for shelter and the other basic necessities of life. The highest is self-actualization. Not many people achieve this highest state of being. I would argue that without religion, it is impossible to, and even most people who say they are religious do not achieve it. To be self-actualized means that we are living life to our own individual fullest potential. We grow from our mistakes. We take constructive criticism. And perhaps most importantly we see things from God’s perspective. There are so many awful things that happen to people each and every day that it’s important to see the big picture. If we are frustrated or annoyed by something, we need to keep our temper. I find this so difficult. If my computer doesn’t load a page quickly enough, I immediately feel some anger. This is stupid, but I am getting better at remaining calm. I have a long way to go before I am self-actualized, a very long way to go, but it’s something I hope for in the future. If someone has something we want, we need to realize that we were not given that gift for a reason. It doesn’t fit in with God’s plan for us. The ideal life is not necessarily if we get married, or have a certain number of children, are both of those are important. But the ideal life is to make sure that we are on the right path. Not because we should be trying to get to heaven, but because we know God loves us and wants nothing but the best for us. He has been with us since birth and loves us on that level, as only a parent can. When we win, He celebrates. When we lose, He hates it. Maybe the most important thing in life is to realize that the daily decisions we make affect our very souls. Nothing doesn’t matter. Everything is important. If you can’t be kind, be mute. If you can’t be gorgeous, be cute. And if you can’t be average, then be magnificent.