Dennis Loos here giving you the 4-1-1, do you feel as if you’re in a slump? Unmoored? Simply content with staying alive? Each day a mirror of the former? A clone, faxed, photocopied and then stenciled onto that idea that is your existence? Well, it is normal for folks to question where they are at some point in their life. It is also normal to feel “stuck”, or stagnant. All these sensations usually arise when we get the feeling that we aren’t living up to our fullest potential. Here we’ll talk about what you need to know in order to pull it off— to fire on all cylinders and reach your potential.

 

What Is Commonly Defined as Potential?

Clients are always asking me, “Dennis Loos, how do I reach my potential.” Yet, right out of the gate, I’m stunned by the fact that few, if any, know what potential actually is— the definition of it. We could examine different definitions from practices and philosophies as to what “potential” really is. If we understand it from a physics standpoint, it is the energy an object has in relation to its position in regards to others.

When we analyze the definition from a psychological perspective, that POV, it could be considered as becoming the best version of yourself. We will be focusing on this definition for this article.

However, the most important question you can ask yourself is: “What is my definition of potential?” Because only when you do that, will you take the first step to reach it, or you’ll at least know what you should strive for in life.

Oneperson’s potential differs wildly from the other. Why? Because your physical self and emotional profile is vastly different from that of your peers. You are a unique person, and that has to be taken into account.

 

Advantages of Fulfilling Your Potential

Self-actualization

Fulfilling your potential is the cornerstone of self-actualization. It is what you need to become self-actualized. Only when you fulfill your potential will you achieve this. You will know who you are, what you are capable of, and more importantly what you are content with.

 

Leading a happier life

Fulfilling your potential is one of the quintessential steps to becoming a genuinely happy person, for it will give your life meaning and purpose.

 

Living a healthier life

When you don’t live life to the fullest, you become a prisoner of your own toxic thoughts. Years of having destructive thought patterns will manifest in the form of mental and physical ailments, both of which, will severely curtail your ability to lead a satisfying life.

 

Living a meaningful life

Some people say that living a life without a purpose is not worth experiencing. Minding the over dramatic simplification feeling astray in life is not something pleasant. That’s why living up to your potential helps with this.

 

What Can You Do to Live Life to the Fullest?

Set goals that align to your definition of the word “potential”

It’s difficult to fulfill your potential if you don’t know what you consider your personal concept of it to be. Once you have found it, create realistic goals that align with this definition, and take concrete and decisive steps to make it happen. This will be the first step towards realizing what you are made of and what you are able to do.

 

Live according to your own expectations

You are defined by your wants, needs, and desires— your expectations, not defined or led by others. Once you decide what your potential is, and you have set goals for yourself, don’t let the way other folks have reached their potential shadow your own. All that matters here is what you think of yourself, and if the actions you are performing brings you closer to achieving your goals.

 

Discipline is crucial

Ever wondered why you have still to achieve anything you truthfully consider meaningful in life? Or why every time you have been on the verge of doing so, you end up falling short of accomplishing your goal? That is either because you lack discipline, or that this isn’t your strongest suit. Don’t worry, tip from Dennis Loos, this is something we all struggle with. Discipline, willpower, all those things are hard not only to create and nurture, but to maintain at a steady pace. Either way, you need to understand that once you stick to a plan, you need to follow through, even in the face of adversity. Only then is when you will fulfill your potential.

 

Your comfort zone is your enemy

“Comfort zone”, it is that state of mind where you don’t dare to step outside of what’s familiar to you. Staying too long in the comfort zone is a surefire way of growing stagnant in a very short period of time.

You should always try your best to step out of this area, as only then is when you will find out what your limitations are, and whether you can surpass them or not. Surprisingly, failure is a key component to fulfilling your potential. Consider failure your best friend, as it is the building blocks for reaching your maximum capacity. And why is that? Because part of our hardwired defense mechanism, that evolutionary coding embedded in all of us, is the fact that we as humans learn more from our mistakes than our triumphs. This is because, way back when survival of the fittest was an everyday occurrences, mistakes could cost us our lives— so we tended to learn not to repeat them.

Go solo

This one goes hand in hand with stepping out of your comfort zone.

Having a good support network is a good idea, butusing it as a crutch for your personal shortcomings isn’t. Dare to venture into the unknown, and to meet new individuals. In this way you can grow, and also have a chance to meet people that will help you fulfill your potential.

Going solo will force you to break away from your shell.

 

Build a support network

While this point may seem to clash with the former, it really doesn’t. Actually, it complements it. When you fail, or when you’re in low spirits, riding solo will serve only to wrap you in a cloak of depression. During times of uncertainty and lack of strength to carry on, friends, family, or tutors will give you the extra boost you need to forge ahead when facing difficulties.

 

Stay the course

It can be tempting to sabotage yourself and to convince yourself that external factors are working against you. That the gods want you to fail. This is a cop-out. Regardless of what you experience along the way, stay the course. This is pivotal. The measure of a person isn’t how they celebrate their triumphs, but how they overcome their failures, and with what gusto they start over again..

 

Actions You Should Avoid to Fulfil Your Potential

On the flipside, here are some deeds you should avoid doing if you want to fulfill your potential:

• Blame others for your failures
• Doubt yourself
• Look for shortcuts for success
• Passively wait for the perfect opportunity or circumstance.
• Failing to successfully manage your time and resources
• Being around toxic or mediocre people
• Changing your course of action compulsively
• Depending on others when you don’t need it

 

As long as you steer clear from these, you won’t necessarily fulfil your potential, but you’ll become much closer to doing so. At the very least, you are certainly going to live a better life.