The Reality of Potential
Written by Michael Weaver | Follow me on Twitter | Free updates via Email.
Where You At?
It’s a simple question. Where are you at with what you are doing? I mean, you are doing something – starting a business, going to school, moving up in a company – you are building something. Are you moving forward, are you stuck in neutral, or are you moving totally in the wrong direction? If you are reading this blog – there is no doubt in my mind that you have some projects and plans that you have bouncing around in your mind. Are you idling along at a snail’s pace? Is anything happening? Is it just something you talk about? Do you understand that you are the only vehicle with the power to make things happen? Your answers very well may have been – no, I’m not moving like a snail; yes, things are happening; and I know I’m the only one that can make it happen. Or, you might be in the majority, where – maybe it’s more of something you just seem to talk about more than anything.
I am in no way speaking from the top because I’ve done it. I write about getting inspired and recognizing the good in life. Naturally, much of what I write about is based on getting better at living life. Part of developing and growing is recognizing our own potential, and executing something great once that potential is brought out. However, there remains a problem with our potential and how we manage it.
Are you sitting up high on a pile of potential? My guess, unless you are completely satisfied with where you are in life, is that your answer to that question is yes. If you are like me, you have a plan that is probably not as detailed as it needs to be – and that’s probably the reason you are sitting on a pile of potential, but aren’t exactly seeing a lot of positive results or experiencing the success you are ultimately seeking.
As I mentioned, my goal is to inspire you. To keep you coming back because you know you will leave FiT with a grounded, simplistic shot of energy and good feelings to integrate into your own life. If I’ve gone overboard, then I’ve even given you some type of method or tactic to try out in your life. That makes me happy – because that’s the intent. I no longer digress.
Sittin’ High on That Pile
I am the epitome of the person who sits on a pile of potential, but doesn’t do enough about it. Lately, I have allowed myself to be pulled in too many directions and have lost some momentum. I’ve found that I’ve loosened up and somewhat lost focus on the path that I decided upon some time ago. I’m sure that happens to you as well – as it’s nearly impossible to avoid. I recently read another article about living in a world of your own potential – and I have to admit that it really forced me to reflect on where I’m at and what I’m working towards. Do you live in a world of your own potential? I think a lot of people do. It’s an easy way to fool yourself into thinking you are actually doing something when in reality – you may not be doing anything at all, or more likely, you just aren’t doing enough. You aren’t doing what it takes.
As you indulge in your potential – you have to make a decision about what you are going to do with it – and as I see it you have two very simple options…
Option 1 – Quit
If you aren’t doing what it takes and are happy living in your world of potential, well then I suppose it makes the most sense to quit. Why waste your time if you aren’t willing to do what it takes? I can’t say much more – sometimes, depending on what you invest your disposable energy in to, it might make sense to quit. Quitting might be right. Now, if your heart is in it, and you are living in the world of your potential I don’t’ think there should be any quit in the fight. As once you win a fight, you have to be ready for the next one, because any where worth going is made up of one fight after another. Before you know it – you’ll be on your own journey winning fight after fight.
Option 2 – Get Real
If quitting just isn’t part of your program – then getting serious is probably a good option for you. You have to understand why getting serious is right for you – why you want it bad enough to go through some probable pain along the way. Mental strength and perseverance is probably more appropriate to say than pain, but you get what I mean.
I’ll use myself as an example. About a year ago, I began writing as a hobby and it was largely self-serving, as writing tends to be therapeutic for most people. But, as I invested more time in to writing and becoming a blogger, I realized that it was something I developed a passion for and saw as a potential future lifestyle. Now, flat out, I want to travel and share inspirational stories from all over the world. I want you to feel the inspiration that I do because I believe it has the power to change lives. I also want to attain a sustainable income via a location-independent means – to allow for this travel and reflection-style writing that I enjoy so much. But how bad do I want it? Why isn’t my plan as detailed as it needs to be? Why aren’t I interviewing people that have already attained the lifestyle I desire to achieve? These are all questions that are involved in the transition from potential to real.
From Potential to Real
In order to transition from potential to real – recognizing where you fall short, or what is impeding your progress is a natural first step. I struggle from a lack of focus and my attention is easily taken away from where it should be. The lack of focus is a direct result of a lack of structure and organization between all of the projects I have going on at one time. It’s important that I have recognized that, because otherwise I’d continue to be relatively inefficient with my time.
Here are some things I have been either thinking about, documenting, or taking action on lately as work towards turning my potential into something very real:
- Daily Reminders. Busy lives often times lead us to neglect what we enjoy doing most. A simple daily reminder of WHY you are on your journey can make a big difference – it has for me.
- Befriend Time. Time certainly does go fast. So fast that things can quickly escape our grasp. Think of time as your friend – doing things on a daily basis has an amazing way of producing results. You know how fast time goes – imagine if you got serious about your idea, plan, etc. and took action everyday.
- King Consistency. Combine this one with befriending time and you’ll really have something cooking.
- Respect Your Calendar. If you set aside an hour on your calendar to knock out a task or a to-do – well don’t brush it aside for anything else. It’s rather amusing how quickly we are to disassociate ourselves with our own freaking plan and ultimately what we’ve put on our calendar.
- Get Aggressive. Talk about your plan. Bounce ideas off others. Find out who has done what you are trying to do – go talk to them. Be bold. Get into uncomfortable situations. Take a risk if you have to. Sometimes you can be the most aggressive, confident, productive you when you approach something and just say ‘fuck it let’s go’.
Turning your potential into something real is just another fight along your journey to somewhere special to you – and for me, somewhere where I can impact the lives of others in a positive way.
Fuck it!! …Let’s have a great day and get one step closer to turning that dream of yours into reality!
I do apologize for the profanity in this post.
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Image by epsos.
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2 Responses to “The Reality of Potential”
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- Monday Quote: Don't just sit there! - [...] year I wrote about how we can almost fool ourselves by the perception and reality of what your potential ...
What up!
Good post Michael.
Goes to show that despite all of the advice and self-help out there, sometimes the best thing we can do is simply say f*** it and get after what we want.
Alex
YourGoalSetting.com
Alex Work´s last [type] ..Nine Reasons You Shouldn’t Bother Setting Goals and Achieving Them
Thanks Alex – you’re right. You gotta get it!
Mike