Potential

Your first five minutes doing something will not tell you how good you could become.

But so many of us use those first five minutes to decide.

We try a game and are terrible at it. We try something in business and lose money or fail to get clients. Then we conclude that we must not have the potential.

Imagine applying that thinking to a baby learning to speak. The first attempt is not understandable. We do not hear it and decide the child probably has very little potential for language.

We believe in what children can learn before they are anywhere near being able to do it. I want you to consider your own potential with that same curiosity.

Stop measuring the future by the past

When we are young, we tend to think about what we could learn, study, and practice to succeed.

Then, without realizing it, we can shift from looking forward to looking backward.

We start using the abilities we already have and the results we have already created to determine what is possible next.

That diminishes potential. You may not even consider a possibility because you have never learned or done it before.

Your experience can enhance what you do next. But it does not need to become the boundary of your future.

Keep asking what you could become capable of, rather than only what you have already demonstrated.

Your worthiness is already absolute

Before we go further, I want to make something very clear.

Unused potential does not make you less worthy. Fulfilling potential does not make you more worthy.

Your worthiness as a human being is absolute.

I recommend exploring potential because it is the thrill of being alive. Surprising yourself with what you can do is a really good time.

Think about an accomplishment that delighted you: writing a book, learning pickleball, graduating, earning money, or going on a date you had wanted.

When something you did not know you could do becomes something you have done, your life gets more interesting.

You also become an example of evolution. You do not need to influence thousands of people to contribute. Exploring your own potential and expressing it in the world is a contribution.

Let desire point you toward potential

I believe we access our potential through our desires.

Start with what you want. If you do not know, try different things. Explore whether you enjoy trying them.

We have potential in many areas we will never choose to pursue.

You may have the potential to learn a language and no desire to do it. That is okay. We do not want to fulfill every possible potential.

We want to explore the ones that match our desires.

When desire and potential meet, you have something you want to discover. What would you like to become capable of? What interests you enough that you are willing to put in the work?

Practice long enough to find out

Natural talent alone does not determine potential.

Your willingness to work, the time you put in, and the energy you focus on something matter.

A first result cannot show you the whole possibility. Consistent, hard practice over a solid year reveals something very different from a first attempt.

Consider learning a language as an adult. You can read, listen, watch programs, practice, and visit the country. The potential that was dormant can come alive through the work.

Once you are curious about what you want to try, you need skills for overcoming adversity.

You need resilience and the ability to manage your mind so you can keep going long enough to discover what you could do.

Being afraid, doubtful, or discouraged after failures does not have to be a reason to stop. Those are experiences you can learn to move through.

Learn to struggle without defeating yourself

Extraordinary results require you to do things many people do not do.

Most people have not been trained to be resilient or courageous, or to manage the emotional roller coaster of pursuing something difficult.

That is why these skills matter so much.

Instead of comparing yourself with someone you think has an easier life, consider your own challenges as opportunities to develop resilience.

Can you feel negative emotion and keep going? Can you learn from a failure? Can you work hard in a way that inspires you rather than defeats you?

Sometimes you are two years into an adventure and have not yet seen the results you want. It is easy to overlook the skills you are developing in the struggle.

Those skills can become part of how you fulfill potential in many areas of your life.

You are not starting from scratch

If you have achieved an extraordinary result in one area, the emotional and mental skills you developed are transferable.

Someone who has become a doctor and wants to become a chef has new things to learn. But they are not starting with no experience of succeeding.

They already know something about resilience, effort, and overcoming challenges.

I hear people say they cannot leave a career because they would have to start from scratch. But the skills they developed do not disappear when the work changes.

This is one reason I encourage big goals. You discover what you are capable of and develop skills you can use again.

Do not hide your potential out of fear

Think about the potential of ten thousand dollars.

You could invest it, take a trip, buy something, or throw a wonderful party. What it becomes depends on how you use it.

Now imagine putting it under the bed because you are afraid of losing it or afraid of what people will think.

We do something similar with our own potential. We tuck it away from ourselves and the world because we fear failure, ridicule, or negative feedback.

There is no promise that you will always win. Your potential will not necessarily meet every demand or produce every result you want.

But you will not discover what is possible if you never give yourself a chance.

Explore what is still within you

You may see tremendous potential in your children or other people. Do you offer yourself the same possibility?

Your brain is your number one asset. Education and experience add to that asset.

Trying, putting in effort, and failing give you knowledge. They also help you build the resilience that takes you toward the edge of your potential.

Some opportunities pass as we age. New ones also come with experience.

In midlife, I can see areas where my potential is bigger because of what I have learned. I am curious about what else I want to create and what I am willing to work toward.

I want that curiosity for you, too.

What do you want to be capable of? What would you love to try? Where is your desire strong enough to fuel the work?

You do not need to pursue it to prove your worth. You can pursue it for the delight of seeing what you are made of.