Character Motivation Entry: Discovering One’s True Self

Human Need Driving the Goal (Inner Motivation): self-actualization

How the Character May Prepare for This Goal: 

• Leaving a unhealthy marriage
• Cutting off communication with a toxic family
• Selling one’s home and assets to travel
• Quitting one’s job
• Going back to school
• Moving somewhere new, with a different sort of lifestyle than what one was used to
• Volunteering for a cause that forces one to re-imagine one’s priorities
• Traveling to a isolated location where one is often alone, allowing time to reflect (going on an extended sailing journey, volunteering to teach in a remote third-world village, etc.)
• Giving up one’s responsibilities so one has the freedom to choose what comes next
• Saving up money so that one may afford to go on a sabbatical
• Researching locations one may wish to travel to, or live
• Researching experiences that will challenge oneself to get reconnect with one’s inner self
• Making a list of one’s mistakes and practicing self-forgiveness
• Seeking out a therapist to help one better understand one’s path forward
• Revisiting old wounds and learning how to let go, including finding a way to forgive others who caused them, or find peace in some way
• Studying up on how to live frugally or how to work and travel so one is not tied to a job
• Finding a school, organization, or place of sanctuary where one may learn new things and discover who one really is in the process
• Seeking out mentors with good advice or guidance in one’s area of self-discovery
• Preparing family and friends that one is about to embark on something new
• Practicing self-control, meditation, or other centering techniques so one is no longer controlled by fear

Possible Sacrifices or Costs Associated With This Goal: 

• Relationship friction with those who don’t understand one’s needs
• Distance between loved ones who have different needs and feel unsupported or abandoned by one’s actions as a result
• Draining one’s finances
• A relationship partner not part of one’s inner journey may move on in one’s absence
• Taking time away from one’s current path may cause one to fall behind (in a career, with other interests, losing one’s edge with certain skills that will not be practiced, etc.)
• Growing apart from those one leaves behind (if one is choosing to go on a long distance sabbatical)
• Having to give up a house, apartment, a vehicle, etc. that one cherishes because of financial strain

Roadblocks Which Could Prevent This Goal from Being Achieved: 

• Financial struggles
• A critical illness of a family member requiring one to return to one’s life and attend to them
• Finding oneself in danger or harm’s way without support
• Discovering the grass isn’t greener (by moving to another place, pursuing a new interest, job, relationship, etc.) and realizing one’s journey is an internal one, not an external one
• A spouse who threatens to leave because he or she is feeling isolated
• Personal responsibilities that must be dealt with (to do with one’s children, elderly parents, a sibling in trouble, etc.)
• Contracting a disease, illness, or suffering an injury that sidelines all plans
• Toxic family members who sabotage one’s journey in some way
• Being asked to sacrifice something that one is not ready to give up

Talents & Skills That Will Help the Character Achieve This Goal:

• A Knack for Languages
• Good Listening Skills
• Gaining the Trust of Others
• Empathy
• Charm
• Making People Laugh
• Mentalism
• A Knack for Making Money
• Multitasking
• Organization
• Reading People
• Repurposing
• Sculpting
• Survival Skills

Possible Fallout For the Protagonist if This Goal Is Not Met:

• Ongoing dissatisfaction
• Regret and believing one settled for less
• Having to hide who one is from those who will not understand
• Unhappiness which could lead to illness or depression
• Developing a drug or drinking habit
• Having a mental breakdown or experiencing a mid-life crisis which causes one to do something stupid, like cheat on a partner, rage-quit a great job, etc.