Are you living up to your full potential?
Written by Alex Poeter
What would you say your true potential is? As a person, a professional, as a leader? And can we ever really know the full extent of our true potential?
One way of looking at what it means to access untapped potential is to consider examples of people who achieved something that had never been done before. An example that’s often used is the first person to break the 4-minute mile – something that had been considered impossible.
The lesson often drawn from this example, though, is that unless we see someone else achieve the “impossible,” we’re likely to remain within the confinements of what we’re conditioned to believe is possible for us. This promotes the idea that others with seemingly exceptional abilities have to lead the way for us so that we can believe more than what we currently see is within reach.
What if that isn’t true? Aren’t we accessing untapped potential every time we learn something new or do something we’ve never done before? When we learn a new skill at a job, or manage to live up to an unexpected challenge, we can find that external motivators can lead us to do something we’ve never done before
But what if we could continuously access untapped potential by our own volition? I believe we can. I also believe that pursuing such intent allows us to shape and experience our reality in more positive ways. And we don't have to set a new world record -- we can do this by taking small steps every day, stretching ourselves just little bit. Just imagine what would happen if you answered the following questions and acted on them:
How could you see yourself a little bit more powerful, capable and talented, and embody that in the way you’re showing up today?
What would it look like to put a little bit more of yourself into your activities and tasks today by doing them with just a little bit more intention and care?
How could you give a little bit more of yourself during your interactions with your co-workers, partner, friends, kids and family members?
Stretching ourselves so that we can further live into our true potential is not about judging who we are right now and the way we’re doing things - it’s about allowing ourselves to live into our true magnificence. And by "living into our true magnificence" I don't mean from a place of ego and boasting, but from a place of seeing a truer self of us and celebrating that.
I truly believe that by exploring and accessing untapped potential, we can not only experience greater fulfillment, we also increase our ability to serve others at a higher level and thereby have a greater impact on the world. Are you ready to experience a little bit more of your greater potential today?