I wanted to write today about this idea of “Realizing One’s Potential.” When you have children, naturally you watch them learn and grow. You see them reaching their potential in a given area, which ultimately causes you to begin to look at yourself.
I have two athletic children who have both been successful in realizing some upper limits in their sports. My oldest achieved her Black Belt in karate by the age of 13. My youngest daughter just won Nationals in her sport last month (Acrobatic Gymnastics) AND made the USA National Team. When I watched them both perform and test their upper limits in these areas, it causes me to think “am I reaching my own potential in life?”
When you are a child, fear seems to be less of a factor (or maybe it’s that kids are better able to deal with the fearful thinking and just ‘do it anyways’). Adults, I believe, tend to believe their “fearful thinking” is real, and therefore stop pursuing, freeze, or move on to something else. They essentially keep on living a mediocre life that is not filled with much excitement or risk. Their life becomes a successive string of “safe” choices and decisions. I don’t think anyone, when they are kids, thinks to themselves “I want to grow up and live a safe life.” When we are children, we think things such as:
- “I want to change the world!”
- “I want to start my own company!”
- “I want to help a lot of people!”
- “I want to make a lot of money and be really happy!”
I reflect annually on my life’s goals, dreams, things to accomplish for the year. I’m so curious about how I will know when I reach my potential? Will I know? Will I feel it? Would others see it in me (like I see it in my kids)? Is my potential about my career and life’s work, or is it more personal than that? Can it be measured? Is there an upper limit of one’s potential?
For myself, I imagine that I will feel like I’m living and working in “the flow”… that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be; things will fall into place easily; and I will experience a state of excellence that I had not known before. That is my guess. Maybe I should interview my kids and find out how they have experienced their upper limits? That might be a good starting point for me. :)
I look forward to my realizing more and more of my own potential and understanding what’s meant for me in my own life. What about you?
- What do you think is your potential in this life?
- If you envisioned your life as totally ideal, excellent, fulfilling, what do you dream about?
- How would you describe it? What baby steps could you take towards that ideal?
- What gets in your way?
- Can you learn anything from your own kids, and how they take action and deal with fearful thinking?
I would love to hear more about what you dream about and what is stopping you! Please don’t hesitate to share it with me below or privately! :)
