Potential: specific, abilities, talents, skills, and or Knowledge that an individual possesses. What many fail to understand about potential is that -well, it's potential. The abilities, talents, skills, and or Knowledge that we unearth have the potential to grant you success and fulfillment in life. They are capable of producing success providing you water, weed, and cultivating the seed of potential that you possess. Take a look at these definitions to provide clarity and context to what we will be unearthing.
Having or showing the capacity to become or develop into something in the future.
Latent qualities or abilities that may be developed and lead to future success or usefulness.
Existing in possibility: capable of development into actuality
Natural vs. Acquired Potential
Ability
Possessing the means or skills to do something
Natural aptitude or acquired proficiency
Talent
Natural aptitude or skill
The Natural endowment of a person
A special, often athletic, creative, or artistic aptitude
Skill
Ability that comes from training or practice
A developed or acquired ability
Knowledge
Facts, information, and skills acquired by a person through experience or education; theoretical or practical understanding of a subject.
When it comes to unearthing, unlocking, and unleashing your potential power, it's important to keep in mind that potential is both naturally occurring as well as acquired. The reason why this point is so important is that it doesn't matter whether or not you were born with the "juice" or you squeezed the oranges yourself, you still got the "juice".
What's important to remember is that in both cases they are both "potential power" waiting to be unearthed, unlocked, and unleashed; both are responsible for utilizing it to enhance their lives and realize success. You may feel like you were born without any innate potential like you got dealt a bad hand. Just know that the cards and only as good as the person playing them; if you or they don't know what to play or how the game is played then success can still slip through your fingers. Both natural and acquired potential must be sought out, understood, and put into practice. Someone can be born with all the "right cards" in their hands yet fail to even discover their existence or even worse neglect to acknowledge the power they possess and play them all wrong. So whether innate or learned, it only matters what you do with what you got.
A common misconception is that those with innate potential don't have to work hard to reap the benefits of the potential they possess to be successful. This could not be further from the truth. Although basketball came naturally to Michael Jordan, he still put in the hours of practice on the court perfecting his game until he became one of the greatest of all time. Thomas Edison failed over a thousand times before he succeeded at creating a working light bud. The Wright brothers had to learn, unlearn, and relearn aviation and aerodynamics over and over again before they succeeded at creating a legit flying "aircraft". So, don't be fooled, if you feel like you got skills on all the innate potential, just know that it doesn't mean you can't unearth, unlock, and unleash real potential in your life that will propel you into greatness and success.
Allow me to explain. When I say that our purpose is encapsulated in our identity, I'm referring to the intended reason we were created: what you or I were created for, to do, to accomplish. Our potential and purpose are interwoven together; our potential hints to and helps us understand what our purpose is, and the unearthing, unlocking, and unleashing of our potential helps us fulfill our purpose, acquire success, and thrive. So, we can agree that unearthing our potential is of great importance.
Purpose- what you are created for.
Function - what makes you tick.
Potential - what you are capable of.
The Unearthing Process
It's really amazing when we take the time to study something, I mean really analyze it, it's mind-blowing how much we can actually learn. When we put in the necessary time, effort, and attention we can discover what has been hidden in plain sight. Suddenly we are able to see what we've been missing, what's been hiding right under our nose the entire time. I guarantee you, if you give the study of "you" the necessary time, effort, and attention, you will not only unearth your potential, but you will discover your true identity and purpose.
The reason I say "true identity is because so many of us are unwittingly walking around with an imposed/adopted identity. An imposed/adopted identity is simply other people's beliefs, assumptions, and ideas of who you are that you have assimilated and adopted as your identity. It's "identity "that may have been unintentionally imposed on you by well-intended (sometimes not well-intended) parents, family members, friends, teachers, other people of influence, and of course the social norm. These are people that have greatly influence your life and in many ways influence the way you see and identify yourself as a person. It raises the question; how much of who we are is who we are. If you are trying to unearth, unlock, and unleash your potential power, you must first shed the imposed/adopted identity that's burying your potential.
How do we shed imposed/adopted identity?
So, how does this work!? How does shedding imposed/adopted identity reveal or "unearth" potential? Well, I'm glad you asked. It's actually quite simple, the identity that has been imposed on you may not be your true identity at all. If the identity that has been imposed on us that we've unwittingly adopted is not our true identity, then what we believe we are capable of doing or achieving is distorted by the lens of false identity, and thus distorting our potential. This distorted lens of false identity by which you have come to see yourself and identify yourself makes it hard for you to see your innate potential.
Now, how do we shed imposed/adopted identity?
Now, how do we shed these imposed identities that we have adopted as our own? Remember everything hinges on identity. If imposed/adopted identity is the true cause behind us not unearthing, unlocking, and unleashing our potential in life, then we must be careful to first identify the false identity.
We must determine with certainty that there is an imposed identity that has been unwittingly adopted that is blinding us from our potential. This is scary stuff, just the thought that you and I have been operating, functioning, and living under the guise of a false identity is unsettling. However, it is of great importance that you remember that I said that we can learn a lot if we put in the necessary time, effort, and attention. If we embrace the task, the study of self, there is so much that we will discover about ourselves that will unearth, unlock, and unleash our potential power.
The study of self is by large neglected by people altogether; for the most part, it is a lost art. This art has been so greatly neglected that we are completely ignorant of what we don't know about ourselves, or the potential we possess. I get it; with all the hustle and bustle of life, children and family life, work and school, and all the other life factors that eat away at our time; I mean, I understand, that "life be lifing". But the good news is, that we can practice the art of studying self while engaging in all of these life activities. All that is required is your conscience awareness of your behavior as you perform your normal daily activities. While living life as usual, pay attention, be in the moment, be present, and be critical; take on an observer's perspective paying close attention to your behaviors, habits, conversations, and the mindset behind them. The question one must be sure to ask ourselves as we are "self-observing" is, does my behavior, habits, and conversations properly represent the person I believe myself to be? Also, how do my formed habits affect my life and success in life? Do the habits I function from express my potential, further my goals, or help fulfill my purpose? How do my habits affect my everyday life and my relationships, are the habits I've formed producing desirable and beneficial results?
Don't forget who we are is greatly influenced by our parents, family, teachers, religious leaders, community leaders, and friends. Each one has played and still does play a vital role in shading and developing our self-image and identity. Through the years their voices, options, and ideas about you have impacted your life and have been impressed upon your psyche. With the barrage of voices in our lives, it's not hard to see how your own inner voice can be drowned out. As a result, oftentimes, who and what we become is an identity that we've adopted based on the voices, options, and ideas of these people of influence and not our own inner voice. Often times the result is an imposed identity that we unwittingly adopt.
The key to shedding imposed/adopted identity is the examination of some very critical factors of our lives; our values, mindset, worldview, attitudes, and habits. When we consider these factors independent of the voices and influence of these people we will be able to unearth our true identity and along with it our potential. Critical examination of these factors will reveal whether you are functioning under the guise of an imposed/adopted false identity. At the least, it will confirm that you are not operating under an assumed false identity, and maybe even strengthen your self-confidence in such a positive way that leads you to a deeper study of self that will unearth your potential.
Once the imposed identity is identified and exposed, then we are able to shed it, choosing to relinquish it and embrace our true identity. Embracing your true identity reveals your potential.
"Encapsulated within our identity is our purpose, function and potential"
By function I mean; "what makes you tic", what drives you, what distracts you, what focuses you, and what causes you to thrive. Well, you may be thinking, how does knowing what distracts us fit in here; how does it help you "thrive" or help you unearth your potential? Knowing what distracts you can help you develop a defense system that guards your mind against those distractions that keep you from unearthing, embracing, and manifesting your potential power.
The function principle
Have you seriously ever actually taken the time to think about why you function the way you do or even think the way you do? I not talking about the content as much as I am talking about what is the driving force behind it all. Have you even thought to yourself; Why do I do that that way? Why do I think that way? Why do I feel this way about that? Why did I behave this way? What are the underlying values, mindset, attitudes, and worldview that have and are presently influencing the way you and I function? Sadly, for the majority of humanity; the values we live by, the mindsets we operate from, the attitudes influencing our behavior, and the worldview by which we see things are all a manifestation of an imposed/adopted identity. These present a major issue and act as barriers to us unearthing our potential. If these factors are the driving force fueling your function, then it is very likely that you are malfunctioning and they are blinding you to your potential. As we ask ourselves these vital questions and challenge the values, mindsets, attitudes, and worldviews by which we function we will expose and begin shedding imposed/adopted identity unearthing our potential and so much more.
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