.......when the 'little boy' in me, comes-out..... 
1. Biological and Physiological needs - air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sex, sleep, etc.
2. Safety needs - protection from elements, security, order, law, limits, stability, etc.
3. Belongingness and Love needs - work group, family, affection, relationships, etc. This is when we started wanting to go hunting with the folks we looked up to and/or admired.........to gain acceptance and inclusion into that group.
4. Esteem needs - self-esteem, achievement, mastery, independence, status, dominance, prestige, managerial responsibility, etc. This is when we finally figure-out how to kill ducks and have something to prove to ourself and others. Numbers are the basis of measure for a sense of accomplishment.....usually defining 'success' in relative terms - i.e. when you kill more (or less) than the next guy. Esteem is damaged when somebody else appears more 'successful' than you. Self-sufficiency is a key ingredient to acheiving high slef-esteem.
5. Self-Actualization needs - realising personal potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences. This is when you finally realize, you don't have to prove anything to anybody (including yourself) - when you derive gratification when killing becomes merely a matter of pulling the trigger - and you elect not to. You marvel at the raw beauty of nature and your quarry's joy for life despite it's unique sturggles- also realizing it is only concerned with the first 3 'needs' for survival.
If we're lucky - we could eventually reach the self-actualization phase - but maybe not until going through and becoming content with who we are in the previous stages........or maybe not at all.
If you think you have reached your potential, consider these self-actualization characteristics:
- keen sense of reality - aware of real situations - objective judgement, rather than subjective
- see problems in terms of challenges and situations requiring solutions, rather than see problems as personal complaints or excuses
- need for privacy and comfortable being alone
- reliant on own experiences and judgement - independent - not reliant on culture and environment to form opinions and views
- not susceptible to social pressures - non-conformist
- democratic, fair and non-discriminating - embracing and enjoying all cultures, races and individual styles
- socially compassionate - possessing humanity
- accepting others as they are and not trying to change people
- comfortable with oneself - despite any unconventional tendencies
- a few close intimate friends rather than many surface relationships
- sense of humour directed at oneself or the human condition, rather than at the expense of others
- spontaneous and natural - true to oneself, rather than being how others want
- excited and interested in everything, even ordinary things
- creative, inventive and original
- seek peak experiences that leave a lasting impression
I don't know about y'all, but I've got a long way to go, yet........
Maybe part of the self-actualization phase might be taking an interest in a new duck hunter and playing a positive role his/her development......as a fellow human being. Kinder, gentler, (older) Anatidae........(just don't ask me where a good duck hunting spot is
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