Things that Could Stop You From Realizing YourFull Potential

Potential is unexposed ability and latent power. It is
who you can be and what you can achieve. The
potential for greatness lies within us all but not all of
us ever get to realize our potentials. According to
Thomas Edison “If we did all the things we are capable
of doing we would literally astound ourselves.” On this
side of life there is nothing as important as becoming
all you can be. However, you need to make sure you
are not the one standing in your way to becoming all
you can be.
Below are things that could stop you from realizing
your potential;

1) Focusing on your
flaws:
Many live through life
being majorly aware and
focusing on their
weaknesses instead of
strengths. Someone once
said “If you spend too
much time working on
your weaknesses all you
end up with is a lot of
strong weaknesses”. This
does not mean you should
totally ignore your flaws
but rather focusing on
your strengths while
making an attempt to manage your weaknesses. What
are the abilities that you always get positive feed backs
on? These are your strengths. We all have things we
are inherently good at; things that seem easier to us
than any other activity. You cannot really succeed
focusing on your weaknesses. Successful people dwell
on their strengths; they focus on areas where they can
make a positive difference. Here is the ground rule,
Work where you’re strongest 80% of the time. Work
where you’re learning 15% of the time, work where
you’re weakest 5% of the time.
2) Imitating and Comparing yourself to
others:
It’s okay to appreciate others as long as you don’t try
to duplicate or begin to envy their gifts. When you
imitate others, you are only living in their shadows.
Instead of living in somebody’s shadows, stand on
their shoulders and glean from their wisdom. The
foolishness in comparing yourself to others is that we
waste precious energy focusing on other peoples’ lives
rather than our own. Comparison puts your focus on
the wrong person! We all have our unique differences.
Recognize your uniqueness and make it count.
Uncommon people are just common people who
recognize their core gift and put it to work.
3) Dwelling on past failings or Negative
Experiences:
Those who dwell on their ugly past usually tend to be
narrow-minded because they find it difficult to rise
above the pains and sufferings of the past and may
not be able to look at the world as objectively as they
could. Such people make mountains out of their
memories than they do with their imaginations. They
do not look at the future with any bright hope. Until a
man can see a future he believes in, he may never
embrace any meaningful change in the present. You
need to let go of where you have been to get to where
you ought to be. Instead of dwelling on who your past
has shaped you into rather shift your mind to who you
can become. Change the verdict of your past. You
ought to be in control, not your past.
4) Fear:
Fear greatly hinders the ability and capacity to reach
out . It kills the desire for any meaningful pursuit. Fear
breeds inaction and inaction breeds more fear and
doubts. This can hinder any meaningful progress.
Courage is not the absence of fear but rather taking
the needed step in spite of your fears. Often times the
only thing between us and our greatness is our fears.
To attain your full potential, you must have the
courage to shun critics and push the boundaries.
5) Pride and self-centeredness:
Pride is a false image of the real you; a mask behind
which low self-esteem is hidden. It hinders the ability
to learn and grow. Self-centeredness is “what is in it
for me” kind of attitude. Pride and self-centeredness
negatively impact our lives. While one stops you from
learning, the other stops you from giving. It is only
when we learn we grow and only when we are ready
to give our self in service we receive because
contributing to the well-being of others is the best way
to align with your true self.
6) Mind decay:
This is what happens when we no longer actively
nurture our minds. Frivolity and complacency set in.
We begin to allow the little we have done to stop the
much we can do. To realize our full potential, we must
never stop learning and developing our minds.
According to Leonardo da Vinci, “Iron rusts from
disuse; water loses its purity from stagnation… even
so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind.” When our
minds become stale, it is impossible for our lives to be
any better.