ABSTRACT
This chapter explores that what is meant by self-cultivation, and how self-cultivating activities are different from those the authors might experience as self-refreshing or self-maintaining. It shows how self-cultivation can occur through activities and practices that have the potential to change them, and Alasdair MacIntyre's definition of a practice as a social activity embedded in a tradition, standards of excellence, internal goods and virtues, offers a useful analytical tool for this discussion. The chapter demonstrates how self-cultivation is intimately connected to community, thereby developing a stronger argument for how self-cultivation hinges on civic-mindedness and thus is foundational to the practice of civic professionalism. It argues that while civic-mindedness represents the external dimension of civic professionalism, self-cultivation can be conceived of as the internal dimension of civic professionalism. The chapter develops a case for the importance of the practitioner's self-cultivation or personal flourishing.
