The Self-Reliant Entrepreneur

September 13True Potential

Every person has at times in their mind the Ideal of what they should be, but are not. This ideal may be high and complete, or it may be quite low and insufficient; yet in all that really seek to improve it is better than the actual character. Perhaps no one is satisfied with themselves, so that they never wish to be wiser, better, and more holy. No one ever falls so low, that they can see nothing higher than themselves.

Theodore Parker—“A New Lesson for the Day” (1856)

What is the measure of one's true potential? Potential—now there's a word charged with emotion. Oh, and it's easy to know our potential because plenty of people have opinions about ours or our lack of it.

But you already know who the biggest critic of your potential is, don't you?

It's you, or more appropriately, it's a limited “mindset” about your potential. You're limitless; we all are, if we allow it. Nobody said it was gonna be easy, but it might be worth the effort.

Consider this idea about a mindset from Carol Dweck's book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success: “When people change to a growth mindset, they change from a judge-and-be-judged framework to a learn-and-help-learn framework.”

Are you operating from a judge-and-be-judged framework?

Don't waste the energy it takes to beat yourself up because you think you're not living up to your full potential right now. Don't wish things were different; see them for what they are and resolve to learn from them. Stop judging others ...