Potential is unexposed ability and latent power. It is who you can be and what you can achieve. The potential for greatness lies within us all but not all of us ever get to realize our potentials.
According to Thomas Edison “If we did all the things we are capable of doing we would literally astound ourselves.” On this side of life there is nothing as important as becoming all you can be. However, you need to make sure you are not the one standing in your way to becoming all you can be. Below are things that could stop you from realizing your potential;
1) Focusing on your flaws: Many live
through life being majorly aware and focusing on their weaknesses instead of strengths. Someone once said “If you spend too much time working on
your weaknesses all you end up with is a lot of strong weaknesses”. This does
not mean you
should totally ignore your flaws but rather focusing on your strengths while making an attempt to manage your weaknesses. What are the abilities that you always get positive
feed backs on? These are your strengths. We all
have things we are inherently good at; things that seem easier to us than any other activity. You cannot really succeed focusing on your weaknesses. Successful people dwell on their
strengths; they focus on areas where they can make a positive difference. Here is the ground rule, Work where you’re strongest 80% of the time. Work where you’re learning 15% of the time, work where you’re weakest 5% of the time.
2) Imitating and Comparing yourself to others: It’s okay to appreciate others as long as you don’t try to duplicate or begin to envy their gifts. When you imitate others, you are only living in their shadows. Instead of living in somebody’s
shadows, stand on their shoulders and glean from their wisdom. The foolishness in comparing yourself to others is that we waste precious energy focusing on other peoples’ lives rather than our own. Comparison puts your focus on the wrong person! We all have our unique differences. Recognize your uniqueness
and make it count. Uncommon people are just common people who recognize their core gift and put it to work.
3) Dwelling on past failings or Negative Experiences:
Those who dwell on their ugly past usually tend to be narrow-minded because they find it difficult to rise above the pains and sufferings of the past and may not be able to look at the world as objectively as they could. Such people make
mountains out of their memories than they do with their imaginations. They do not look at the future with any bright hope. Until a man can see a future he believes in, he may never embrace
any meaningful change in the present. You need to let go of where you have been to get to where you ought to be. Instead of dwelling on who your past has shaped you into rather shift your mind to who you can become. Change the verdict of your past. You ought to be in control, not your past.
4) Fear: Fear greatly hinders the ability and
capacity to reach out. It kills the desire for any
meaningful pursuit. Fear breeds inaction and inaction breeds more fear and doubts. This can hinder any meaningful progress. Courage is not the absence of fear but rather taking the needed step in spite of your fears. Often times the only thing between us and our greatness is our fears. To attain your full potential, you must have the courage to shun critics and push the boundaries.
5) Pride and self-centeredness: Pride is a false
image of the real you; a mask behind which low self-esteem is hidden. It hinders the ability to learn and grow. Self-centeredness is “what is in it for me” kind of attitude. Pride and self -centeredness negatively impact our lives. While one stops you from learning, the other stops you from giving. It is only when we learn we grow and only when we are ready to give our self in service we receive because contributing to the
well-being of others is the best way to align with your true self.
6) Mind decay: This is what happens when we no longer actively nurture our minds. Frivolity and complacency set in. We begin to allow the little we have done to stop the much we can do. To realize our full potential, we must never stop learning and developing our minds. According to Leonardo da Vinci, “Iron rusts from disuse; water loses its purity from stagnation… even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind.” When our minds become stale, it is impossible for our lives to be any better.
