Entelechy!
Image via WikipediaHere’s a little brain snack for you… I don’t know about you, but I love learning new words. Here’s one that crossed my desk recently: Entelechy.
No, it’s not a new disease spread by lack of hand-washing. It’s not a sound of a sticky hand being removed from the surface of a table. It’s actually a great description of what most people I encounter are wanting to further explore and claim: their own internal motivation source for growth and development.
I’ve yet to put this word one in action in my day-to-day vocabulary without sounding like an airbag, but I love the definition:
Entelechy (from Dictionary.com):
1. In the philosophy of Aristotle, the condition of a thing whose essence is fully realized; actuality.
2. In some philosophical systems, a vital force that directs an organism toward self-fulfillment.
Isn’t it cool that there is a word for this? It made me grin, even if I’ll probably never say it out loud to a real person: “Nice entelechy you got there, buddy!”
Posted by Posted by Hanna Cooper, MPH, CPCC, ACC http://makingadifference.typepad.com Thank you Hanna, what an awesome word!
A wonderful new word! I will try to work it into my next conversation.