The Key to a Meaningful Life
The modern mental health field often places a heavy emphasis on illness…
We focus on diagnoses like depression, anxiety, and attention deficit without realizing that the labels we carry subtly shape how we see ourselves.
Before we know it, we can find ourselves caught in a cycle—dwelling on what’s wrong instead of taking meaningful steps to change how we live.
However, there have been a handful of influential leaders who have challenged this illness-centered approach to modern mental health. Among these great thinkers: Abraham Maslow.
Instead of focusing solely on what was lacking or broken in a person, Maslow turned his attention to their possibilities and potential for growth. Specifically, he chose to study individuals who described themselves as happy, fulfilled, and deeply engaged with life.
His work offers insight into how we, too, can live a life of meaning, fulfillment and engagement...
“What a man can be, he must be. This need we may call self-actualization.”
—Abraham Maslow
In his inspiring 1962 book Toward a Psychology of Being, Abraham Maslow explored the inner experiences of self-actualizing individuals. These were people who had moved beyond the basic needs of survival, and were living with purpose, creativity, and integrity. To Maslow, this included people like Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein, and Aldous Huxley, as well as everyday artists, teachers, and craftsmen who found deep meaning in their work.
Maslow set out to discover what gave these individuals’ lives such a deep sense of richness and fulfillment. As he studied them more closely, he noticed they all seemed to be guided by a unique set of inner values…
Wholeness (unity, integration, organization)
Perfection (necessity, just-rightness, completeness)
Completion (ending, justice, fulfillment)
Justice (fairness, orderliness, lawfulness)
Richness (complexity, differentiation, intricacy)
Simplicity (essence, purity, honesty)
Liveliness (spontaneity, self-regulation, full-functioning)
Beauty (rightness of form, harmony, uniqueness)
Goodness (benevolence, honesty, truthfulness)
Uniqueness (idiosyncrasy, individuality, novelty)
Effortlessness (ease, grace, lack of strain)
Playfulness (fun, joy, humor, exuberance)
Truth (reality, nakedness, authenticity)
Self-sufficiency (autonomy, independence)
Maslow called this set of qualities Being-values, or B-values, and believed they were essential to personal growth, authentic living, spiritual connection, and, ultimately, a deeply meaningful and fulfilling life.
He also believed these qualities exist within everyone, though they often remain unrecognized—hidden beneath layers of fear, insecurity, and social conditioning…
“Every human being has both sets of forces within him. One set clings to safety and defensiveness out of fear... The other set impels him forward toward the full functioning of all his capacities.”
—Abraham Maslow
According to Maslow, our B-values are often overshadowed by a seemingly never-ending search to meet what he called Deficiency-needs, or D-needs, like food, shelter, safety, love, and esteem. This stage of life can feel like running on a hamster wheel, constantly chasing after more security and approval for the subconscious sake of survival.
However, once these basic needs are mostly met and a person begins to feel safe, stable, and accepted, their focus starts to shift. Life becomes less about fixing what’s broken or gathering more to feel secure. Instead, a deeper part of the self begins to awaken…
the part of us that’s open;
the part of us that’s curious;
the part of us that’s fully engaged with life.
Quietly and slowly, qualities like joy, playfulness, and self-expression—our B-values—begin to bloom.
Maybe you're at a point in life where your routines feel stable and everything on the surface seems to be in place. But deep down, you’re beginning to sense that there’s more to life...
A quiet voice within seems to be calling you toward something more meaningful…
So, what’s going to help bring this voice to life?
“What is necessary to change a person is to change his awareness of himself.”
—Abraham Maslow
Although our deeper values can’t be forced into being, Maslow suggested that they can be gently cultivated over timethrough intentional practices such as:
Engaging in psychotherapy and honest inner reflection
Committing to contemplative practices like meditation and stillness
Expressing oneself through art, writing, and other creative forms
Reconnecting with nature and nurturing genuine community
Commitment to personal growth and responsibility
Devoting oneself to a sense of purpose, calling, or meaningful work
Maslow called this developmental phase self-actualization, where we live with integrity, embody our core values, and allow our greatest potentials to unfold. It is also a time when we begin to deeply desire the full experience of life—to express what lives in the deepest parts of our being and to offer it in service to something greater than ourselves.
Through this unfolding, we may further encounter what Maslow called peak experiences—brief but powerful moments in which the boundaries of the fear-based ego seem to dissolve, leaving us with…
ecstatic joy,
vivid clarity,
and a profound feeling of peace and unity with life itself.
These peak moments can shape us from the inside out, solidifying into fully-embodied peak traits. In other words, we gradually become joyful, fulfilled, and engaged individuals.
Life becomes a beautiful adventure we are inherently a part of…
“The great lesson from the true mystics… is that the sacred is in the ordinary, that it is to be found in one’s daily life, in one’s neighbors, friends, and family, in one’s backyard.”
—Abraham Maslow
Through his work, Maslow revealed that the highest forms of mental health are not simply defined by the absence of illness, as the modern psychiatric field often suggests…
Genuine mental health necessitates the presence of meaning, the pursuit of purpose, and a deep sense of connection to oneself, one another, and to Life itself.
He further taught that true well-being emerges when we perceive reality clearly, free from the distortions of unmet needs, fear, or ego. It emerges not through striving, but through a quiet devotion to something greater than ourselves, whether that be Truth, beauty, service, or love.
May we too live rich, meaningful lives, rooted in clarity, moved by purpose, and driven by the quiet joy of engaging with everyday life.
Max Kristopher Komes
www.MaxKomes.com
Max Komes is a master’s-level mental health professional and author in Pensacola, Florida. His philosophy is that each and every individual holds wellsprings of wisdom within them, and with the right tools, can access this wisdom to live purposeful, healthy, and resilient lives.
How You Can Support:
1-1 Session: if you find that these messages resonate with you, take the next step in rediscovering mental clarity by scheduling a session with Max.
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This writing is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. If you have imminent health concerns, please call 1-800-NAMI.
