How to live up to your full potential

I often question myself “am I living my life up to the full potential?” as and when I reminded of Thomas Edison’s great remark “If we did all the things we were capable of, we would literally astound ourselves.” I’m sure you must have thought about the same at some point in your life when someone probably made the statement that you have a lot of potential.

I believe all of us seem to have potential, but there’s rarely anyone around who can tell us how to realise it. We all should know that, potential is only good if we are able to capitalise on it and potential may not be quantified but cultivated. During life coach sessions, my clients always ask me, “How to realise their true potential?” I help them with below few guidelines to reach their highest potential.

Work on your strengths: Your greatest achievements will likely be a product of your strengths. Expect to expend some time fully developing your ability to apply your strengths to all aspects of your life.

Work on your weaknesses: While your weaknesses probably won’t take you far, they can certainly limit you. Most people evade their weaknesses and refuse to work on them.

Focus on acting instead of thinking: Most people learn, think, and plan too much instead of taking action. Action results in change and progress. However, that doesn’t mean you ought to make poor, unintelligent choices.

Try to spend at least 10 hours taking action to 1 hour of thinking, instead of the other way around.

How well would it work if you spent 10 hours planning your exercise routine for every hour you actually exercised? You’d be an out of shape armchair expert.

Be assertive: Have you ever noticed that assertive people are the ones that tend to get what they want? Because they know when to say “yes” or “No”. Be willing to ask for what you want by communicating assertively. Please do keep in mind that innumerable people have failed to get what they want simply due to the fear of asking for it.

Set goals: Setting goals is must, because “how can anyone expect to achieve something great if they haven’t defined it beforehand?” It’s essential to know specifically where you’re going and what should be done to reach your goal. A few minutes spent on each day defining your goals are invaluable.

Be smart: Not by looks! You should know working hard on things that don’t matter won’t help you or anyone to reach their highest potential. Ensure you’re spending your time on important activities which keeps you motivated in your success journey. Although certain activities and tasks are less appealing than others, that’s what makes your achievements worth it in the end. Becoming great is not only challenging but also fun.

Be open: We all miss countless opportunities to maximise our potential and better our lives. We get stuck in the same mental routines and fail to see all the opportunities around us. An open mind is very crucial to reaching your full potential. So, always be open to enjoy the life uncertainties’ in positive way.

Find a coach: A good coach can save years of struggle and effort. The ideal coach started where you’re starting, and has achieved the success you’re after. Choose the best coach who can help you to succeed.

It’s doubtful that anyone comes close to reaching their full potential, but all of us can do much more than what we’re currently doing. Determine to become the best possible version of yourself. Find a coach and make an intelligent plan. Act on that plan to the best of your ability. I’m sure you can certainly live up to that potential everyone is always talking about.

The author is an IT engineer by profession, a life coach and motivational speaker.

By:Sivananda