Are You Ready To Discover Your Potential?
I always knew I wanted to become somebody when I grew up.
Now I realize I should have been more specific.
- Lily Tomlin
Understanding & Finding Your Potential
Potential. People may tell you that you have lots of it ... that you are wasting yours ... or that you have none.
Yet few people really know what potential is. And even fewer realize that discovering your potential allows you to change your fate ... redefine your destiny .. and change your life in the process of developing your potential.
Knowing your potential does change your life ... by helping you understand what you can excel at and who you can become. Knowing that allows you to overcome your fate and make your dreams come true ... .
What Is Personal Potential?
Your personal potential describes ...
- The activities and tasks you can excel at: the hobbies, sports, jobs and relationships you can be great at.
- The person you can become: the professions, social status and fame you can attain.
- What it is possible for you to achieve: the life goals, wealth, honors, awards as well as the impact you can have on the world
Potential comes from the root words "potency" and "potent" and refers to all the things you can be successful at if you develop and use your gifts, talents and natural abilities.
Everyone Has Potential ...
All of us have within us the seeds of greatness. But everyone's potential is different. Some of us are great at telling stories. Others excel at making touchdowns, solving complex math problems, inventing things or growing herbs.
Collectively, we have all the potential we need to create and sustain our world. And on the Island, we think that means a world where every dream can come true. But it takes every blade of grass, every breeze, every insect to make reality not only what it is, but what it could be.
If we did all the things we are capable of doing
we would literally astound ourselves.
- Thomas Edison
Your personal potential is not limited to just one area of your life ... it spills over like a waterfall and pools together with others of like minds and abilities.
You not only have career potential, but the potential to be great in love and human relationships. You also have the potential to live a vibrant, healthy life ... using wisdom and do amazing work.
How Do I Discover My Potential?
The answer comes by looking within rather than the world around you.
Often it is easiest to discover what we do best by seeing what comes naturally to us and others struggle with.
Some of us pick up languages quickly, others just seem to have been born in the saddle or with a skillet in their hand. But the only way we know that .. is by knowing people who are not like us, people who are hopeless at learning a language, riding a horse, or learning how to cook. The things we are intuitively great at .. that come to us naturally ... point to and define our potential.
What you are seeking is your greatness ... and that can make you feel like you are not being humble enough, are tooting your own horn too loudly ... even before you discover what your music is.
But our greatness is our gift to the world, what we can contribute to make the world sweet and wonderful and a delight to experience.
What to Look For?
The clues about what is possible for you are all around you .. in your past and present. As a child, you loved specific activities and things. You dreamed of doing great deeds and living a great life. And those dreams and ambitions hold clues about your potential.
And you are still getting clues now ... in the things that you love, and the tasks you naturally do well without even trying. What places do you feel drawn to? What kinds of things make your heart beat faster when you think about them? What do you dream about and long to do?
Helpful Books & Gifts
Want to delve deeper and learn more about your potential? Or need some inspiration? Here are a few books and tools I recommend, some of which may be in your local library.
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Ignite the Genius Within: Discover Your Full Potential If you feel stuck in life, this inspiring book can unblock what is holding you back and help you discover your full potential -- through art, music and looking within for answers. |
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Courage and Calling: Embracing Your God-Given Potential This life changing book offers a different approach to discovering your potential -- by approaching it from a view of discovering your vocation based on insights about how God's (of Allah's) will works in your life. |
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Your Best Life Now Journal: A Guide to Reaching Your Full Potential A guided journal that helps you get started and move from ideas to action through a seven step process that is easy to understand and follow. If you feel stuck and need to get moving, try this book. |
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Quest: Discovering Your Human Potential [VHS] This is one of the best collections of thought-leaders on how to approach discovering your potential. Although on VHS, it might be worth looking at if you like these speakers. |
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If you need a visual reminder to seek your potential, this inspiring poster might work well for you. |
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You Are Special by Max Lucado This special story reminds us of how special we are and not to lose sight of who we really are by trying to fit into the stereotypes and labels others want to pin on us. |
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This special story reminds us of how special we are and the potential that lies inside of us. It can help you embrace your inner potential and and become who you were meant to be. Small things do have big potential. |
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A simple gift for yourself or a friend to remind you to stay true to your potential and seek the clues that will help you discover what yours is. |
Inspiring Movies
If you need some inspiration, I highly recommend these movies that cover how to explore, discover and develop your potential, as well as some of the pitfalls along the way.
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I love to recommend thai film, since it so clearly shows the impact of taking that small first step in discovering your potential and how that can transform all the lives around you ... as well as your own. |
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A great family movie that speaks to the heart of following your heart and discovering your potential -- even when it is scary and sets you apart from the world around you. |
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A new film about finding and developing the potential that lies dormant and waiting inside each of us. |
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Not everyone can see your potential -- but if they do they can change your life as well as your world. |
When the world around you thinks you have no potential or talent, they are wrong. Here is a true story about someone who saw and tapped into the potential of his students. A champion of your potential can make all the difference. |
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Sometimes, you can get lost in all the people who sense and want you to develop your potential. Love and the right people can help you navigate your way. |
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Being full of potential can mean lots of doors open - but they need to be the right doors at the right time. |
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The right opportunities can sometimes feel wrong, but every step along the way has something to offer in developing your potential. But it often helps to have the right person spot and realize your potential. |
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It is not just the right first big break, but the daily work of developing and using your potential that makes you great at what you do. |
Sometimes, it takes courage to find the right niche for your talent -- and you have to make your own opportunities. Here is a lighthearted comedy about being in the right place at the right time, and then making adjustments to show what you can do. |
To Learn More ...
If you want to explore these ideas furthre, try these pages ...
How To Discover Your Personal Potential
Journal Questions: What is My Potential?
Knowing Your Potential Changes Your Life