IDENTITY AND SELF-ACTUALIZATIONBefore you can answer the question “What am I, you must first answer the question who am I and what is what do I represent? Before you can set a goal, you need to determine what you actually want to accomplish in life. Do you want to achieve wealth, fame, a certain level of education or do you want to achieve contentment, inner peace or perhaps contribute to a change in your environment, your community or the world? Are your goals directed inward or are they intended to benefit others? Some people just want a job to make money in the short term until they find something better, while others have a broader vision and are looking for a career they can pursue long term and at the same time succeed. a difference in society. We all desire to become successful individuals and achieve self-actualization through the satisfaction of our four different levels of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Personal identity includes many different elements and our true identity shines through successfully by establishing and utilizing all of these elements. Perceived identity refers to how others perceive us, which may not be clear by taking a look at our outward appearance. Thus, outward appearance is the primary and key element through which our identity can be conveyed accurately. The fundamental basis of our identity is our ethnic and cultural origin. This forms the basis for establishing our natural sense of belonging. Throughout history, cultural differences have influenced the way people communicate with each other. High context cultures such as Asian, Indian, Arabic and Russian prefer to communicate indirectly, it is less verbally explicit and more internal...... middle of paper ...... and Introversion can also be expressed through our outward appearance and how we would like to be perceived by society. Whether we want to believe it or not, how we look, how we talk, what we say, our culture, our religion, and our sexuality determine how we will be treated by others. Reaching a point of self-actualization has little to do with financial success, but it has more to do with being free to be who we truly are and being accepted as we are in a world that constantly tells us who or what we should be like. Setting materialistic and selfish goals may benefit ourselves, but it does not benefit others or do anything for our soul. Self-actualization should not be about ourselves, but rather how we as individuals can offer ourselves to the community by teaching and sharing what we have gained in reaching our full potential..