Recognizing When Potential is a Problem
When someone says you have a lot of potential, it’s not necessarily a complement. As a matter of fact, it could mean just the opposite.
If you’re a beginner at something, having potential is great. On the other hand, if you have experience doing something for a relatively long time and still haven’t reached your potential, then you likely have a problem. Particularly, if you have been toiling away at something for years and have seen others pass you by this is a clear indication that your remaining potential is an indication of a problem.
Furthermore, the root cause of this problem is likely the result of one of two things:
- A lack of passion or
- A lack of resources
Passion Potential
If you have been toiling away at something for years without giving your maximum effort, this can only mean one thing: you’re doing something you’re not passionate about. So, if lacking passion is what’s keeping you from realizing your potential, then it’s time to have a moment of truth with yourself. It’s time for some self-reflection.
- Are you a mission driven person doing money driven work? Or vice versa? If so, it’s time to align your work with your motivations.
- Have you evaluated your strengths and made it a point to use your strengths in your daily work? If not, maybe you should participate in a strengths based coaching program.
- Do you know what legacy you want to leave behind? Have you identified your life’s work and/or purpose? If this is something you still need to do, consider working on creating a purpose statement using the process I describe in this link.
Resource Potential
If you have been giving maximum effort for years and years without the resources, then the next step is for you to work smarter at working harder. This means you must focus on thinking about how you think (metacognition) and then use that analysis to improve how you are working to improve. For example, you must ask yourself questions like the following:
- What things are within my control and how can I maximize how they impact my process and results?
- Is there a way to make a small change so I can do this even better?
- How else can I do this by taking a completely different approach?
- What can I do that’s within my control to help myself master the concepts giving me the most trouble?
- How can I be more effective in my preparation or execution?
- How can I keep track of how effective my approach is going forward?
- What can I do differently right now that will help me in the future?
To conclude, having potential means you have more to give, more to accomplish, and more challenges to overcome. While it’s great to start as someone with potential, it’s not great to be in that same position for too long. Potential doesn’t last forever. You either seize it or waste it.