Nobody Reaches Their Full Potential
As someone who is obsessed with reaching my full potential, I am saddened to say that it will never happen.
I have come to the realization that my absolute best will always be teasing me, just out of my grasp. I believe the same is true for all of us.
Why will we never reach our full potential? The answer has a few components, but it can also be stated in simplicity. The more we improve ourselves, the more potential we give ourselves. Thus, by pursuing our full potential we push that potential further and further — always just out of reach. Chasing one’s own tail comes to mind. But, rather than an endless and fruitless loop — questing to find the limits of our capabilities and grow as individuals is tremendously rewarding. Even if we never arrive. Striving beats stagnation in my books.
I can now accept and understand why I’ll never be the absolute best version of myself, but I will not relinquish the opportunity to continue my evolution and growth. It would be easy to let this epiphany sap my drive and desire to develop greater and more diverse skills. But, the process and continual learning is a great reward. I am honored to improve myself and keep lifting my sights of how high I can reach in my short time in this life. While we live self-improvement enables us to make a bigger impact — the more we are, the more we can give.
Why can’t I ever become my best?
You can actually, but it is not what we should aim for. It is the easy way.
There is only one way to reach our full potential — give up. If we stop trying, that’s as good as we’ll ever be. An easy cop out, and the start of our decline. Once we stop trying our full potential becomes a glaring “what if…” for us to regret and ponder in our old age. You may reach a point athletically where you decide “this is my peak” or “I’m the best there is.” Regardless of what we tell ourselves, there is still more potential if we avoid the desire to stop. Is it a peak, or another plateau? You can let it be a peak by stopping, or you can walk the plateau and notice another incline as you progress. Giving ourselves the permission to quit, or the permission to continue ameliorating ourselves is a choice that we should consider deeply.
Remember I am referring to our full potential.
What we can become in all areas of life cumulatively. In any area of life, we may reach a level of mastery and prowess that is truly the peak. Your body won’t let you shoot hoops, or slam dunk like you once could. Even in that situation, the diminishment of skill in one area does not diminish the full potential of you as a human. Perhaps basketball can decentralize from our focus. We can invest time into something completely different. Or we could use our skills as a coach. Either way, we are starting a new skill to master, we have a new potential within that realm.
Even where there seem to be ways to convince ourselves reaching our greatest potentiality is attainable — we can find an aspect or element in which we can still choose to grow. Thus expanding our potential again. All this sounds like a perfectionist's vision of the impossible. We are “only human” after all. Why must we strain and strive if we are never going to make it where we are trying to go?
I don’t have to be discouraged, and neither do you. Life is growth. Finding enjoyment along the way is essential. I find the entire process very enjoyable — getting better and learning are two joys in life for me. I will always pursue a greater and better version of myself.
Perhaps you don’t enjoy self-improvement as much as I do. Perhaps you’re fine with where you are and could care less about your potential.
I actually used to have those thoughts too, in junior high and high school. I wanted to be average and undershot my potential constantly. So I know what it is like if you are more comfortable not striving. I know what it is like if you are doubtful about your ability to improve. Or, whether you even have a greater potential. I have experienced all these doubts, and I can attest to one thing. They are not empowering.
Believing or accepting a limit on ourselves is the beginning of the end in whatever area we are focused. If we believe in limits on our entire lives we will manifest them. At some point I decided to stop thinking that I was okay with being average. I chose to see how great I could become. What is my full potential?
After over a decade of working towards answering that, I sit here now accepting I can never reach the ultimate expression of my full potential. However, I also accept that I would not give up the pursuit of this potential for anything. The journey over the last decade has been incredible. I would not even be writing these words if I had believed in the limits of my potential. I would have given up before I even started.
I am excited to see what else I can do or become as I chase my dreams.
Although nobody reaches their full potential, you and I both understand we have a chance to become something great. We can’t give up because we now know that our best is our of our grasp.
No.
Our best lies ahead if we choose to keep getting better. Our best lies behind if we choose to give up.
I hope you join me. I hope we push each other to become the best we possibly can, while still looking to how much better we could be, potentially.
This is the 60th installment of Writing Wednesday. A practice I am continually investing in as I become the writer I dream of becoming.
Let me know what you think of this piece or any of my writing. Welcoming all feedback.
