This article was last updated on March 16, 2016
I want to start by asking you a simple, but thought provoking question: Are you living up to your full potential?
To help you answer this question, here is a simple definition of the word potential:
“Your potential is your capacity to become or develop into something in the future.”
Every day I see people just like you and I allowing their skills and talents go to waste. Do you remember the child in school who had the intellectual capacity of a super computer, but ended up in some dead end job, cruising through life? Have you ever seen someone come up with a great idea or product that never made its way off of the planning table?
Why do so many people with seemingly limitless potential amount to nothing?
The answer is simple. Potential doesn’t mean shit. As harsh as that sounds, your ability to achieve something in the future has very little bearing on you actually achieving it. Just because you can doesn’t mean you will.
Although I believe this to be the truth, there is still hope for those of you seeking ways to reach your full potential. Thus, the motivation behind creating this post. Here are the best ways to so:
6 Ways To Reach Your Full Potential
1. Realize that hard work beats talent, when talent doesn’t work hard
Regardless of your situation, circumstances, ability or environment hard work will bring you results. If you are always prepared to be the hardest worker in any given room, good things are going to happen to you. It may take time, and it sure as hell won’t be easy, but if you’re prepared to get your hands dirty you will likely earn it.
2. Realize that complacency is the enemy
Complacency emerges when you create a comfort zone for yourself and remain in its walls. Trust me when I tell you that this should be avoided at all costs. Some people may argue that it’s good to be happy with what you have and that is true to a certain extent. However, the moment you become comfortable with where you are in life, you are never going to get to where you need to be
Celebrate your success and don’t be afraid to pat yourself on the back now and again, but realize that just as you’re resting on your laurels, your competition will be nipping at your heals. People are always getting better and the moment you take your foot off the pedal you’re opening up a path to be overtaken.
3. Set and keep on setting goals
This message may become repetitive throughout my posts, but I truly can’t stress the importance of setting regular goals. How can you achieve your potential if you don’t have anything to aim for? Set BIG, long-term goals, followed by smaller, short-term goals and then place your focus on achieving them.
Creating goals will allow you to wake in the morning with conviction, go after what you want during the day, and go to bed satisfied at night.
4. Have confidence being you
I could nearly bet my life that at least 50% (or more) of the people reading this post, either have trouble with self esteem or have faced difficulties in following their own path, because of the fear of being judged.
I have no shame in admitting that growing up my whole life was shaped by other peoples’ perceptions of me and it drove me down a dark and depressing road, taking away any chance of ever achieving my potential.
The biggest turning point in my life was the moment I said to myself “Forget what everyone else thinks about me, I’m going to do what I love to do and be who I want to be.” I highly suggest you find a way to say something like this to yourself!
5. Understand the truth behind the saying “Failure is the prerequisite to success”
Have you ever failed at something big such as starting your own business, or something less significant like winning a competition? When you failed did you tell yourself you weren’t good enough and gave up on the idea of ever trying again?
The perception of failure being the end of your road to success is one that I want you to smash with a hammer and destroy immediately!
If you do a simple Google search on refusing to give up you will find many stories of the most famous and successful people of our time who had to surpass seemingly insurmountable obstacles to achieve their goals, even after multiple failed attempts.
Take Thomas Edison for example, he failed at creating the light bulb over 10,000 times before he succeeded. Ten thousand times!
Please learn that you must failure is the path to success. Even more, being persistent and determined are non-negotiable, if you ever want to get close to achieving your potential.
6. Develop an unstoppable internal drive
If you want to achieve and surpass what you believe to be your potential you must develop an insane unstoppable internal drive. You have to want to achieve your goals more than anything else in the world and be prepared to do whatever it takes on your quest to self improvement. That is the only bulletproof way to reach your full potential. Watch this inspiration video on internal drive for some extra motivation!
If you want something bad enough that it consumes your mind, then failure will never be an option to you. You will climb walls, dig tunnels and move mountains to get to where you need to go and your own drive will be the pilot that flies you there.
In the comments bellow let me know of any other ways to reach your full potential!
Photocredit: Unsplash.com
