Potential
I once read that you know when you are old, because you start to talk about all the things that you have done rather than all the things that you are going to do in your life.
Recently, I was at a Tony Robbins event when I heard him say that everything in life, your business, your health, your bank account, your relationships, EVERYTHING, is either growing or it is dying. If you are not getting healthier you are getting unhealthier, if your business is not growing it is shrinking, if you’re not growing with your partner, you’re growing apart. The adjustments may be slight but none the less, its happening. It’s a pretty easy concept to understand but it was a real eye opener for me.
That leads me to today’s topic on potential.
Definition of potential
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1: existing in possibility : capable of development into actuality
Has anyone ever told you that you “have potential” or that “you’ve reached your potential”? How the word potential makes you feel, is truly open to your own interpretation of the word.
To some, saying that you “have potential”, may be a slap in the face. They may feel that “having potential”, means that they are not “good enough” and all that they have already accomplished or become in their life is meaningless.
For others, saying that you “have potential”, means that they are close but not quite there yet. It means that they are lacking a necessary skill, resource or idea in order to reach their fullest potential. Once they obtain what it is they lack, they will get to the end goal and reach their fullest potential!
For me, reaching my fullest potential would be a HORRIBLE thing. It would mean that I have achieved all that I am capable of doing. There would be nothing more that I could do. I couldn’t be a better person, partner, father, friend, writer, coach or business person. It would mean that I could no longer grow. It would mean that I would have to stop talking and dreaming about all that there is left to do in my life and begin talking only about what I had done. In essence, I would begin to die, to get old.
Here’s the bottom line. We are all entitled to feel and react the way that we want to when someone tells us that we have potential. With that said, I hope that next time someone tells you that you “have potential”, what you really hear is that you are an incredible person with a life full unlimited possibilities. I hope that you hear that the person telling you that you “have potential” believes in you and sees something in you that you may not see in yourself. If you have “potential” the world is yours for the taking because having potential means that ANYTHING is possible!
I hope that you have a day filled with unlimited potential.
Kevin
Defeating Mediocrity 
Excellent as usual! This article and the way you have articulated, has brought meaning and clarity for me! Most grateful for your interpretation…….. it gave me a boost……… a breath of fresh air!
Another year begins with new experiences and many more of the “new”. Today you offered and provided “new meaning” to a word often used out of context!
Thank you again for the greatness you share!
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