Do you think you’ve reached your full potential, or do you feel you still have much more to achieve?
There’s no wrong answer here, so don’t be scared by the question.
The truth is that your full potential is a constantly moving target, one that gets further away as you progress toward it.
The better question to ask yourself might be – how can we continually expand our potential? How can we make ourselves so much more than we currently are and become closer to everything we could be?
To help you answer these questions, I’ve created this guide which will help you define potential and provide you with a number of mechanisms for expanding it.
Are you ready to discover how to reach your full potential and become the best version of your authentic self? Then let’s get started!
Defining Your Potential
You may have heard the phrase, “you’re not living up to your full potential.”
But what does that really mean? What is potential in a person, and how can we live up to it fully? Another way to ask this is – how much are we really capable of?
The potential of an individual is quantified by aspirations combined with determination. To reach their potential, each individual must exist in alignment with their highest self and believe in their destiny for more.
Play to Win or to Avoid Losing?
Often, we fall short of our living up to our highest potential because we aren’t playing to win; we’re playing to avoid losing.
We are so terrified of failure, discomfort, and criticism that we write off our hopes and dreams before we even dare to try.
We may have sunk into a pattern of playing not to lose so much that we have forgotten how to play to win. And that’s part of why we don’t reach our full potential – we do forget.
But something critical to remember is that we always have a choice when it comes to expanding our potential. We can choose, and making the decision is hugely empowering both for our personal growth and potential expansion.
By understanding you have a choice when it comes to your potential, you set yourself up for success.
Once you’ve made this decision, you can then take the next step, which is defining your potential.
To do so, begin by asking yourself the following questions:
- When you’re present and calm, letting your mind wander, what can you imagine for yourself in the future?
- If you had no limitations, self-imposed or otherwise, what path would you take?
- If you were confident you had the patience and persistence to succeed, what would you attempt?
- If you didn’t have to worry about what anyone else would think, what future would you seek?
The answers to these questions will help you define what you could be, and by doing so, you put yourself in the best possible position to achieve it.
How to Unleash Your Full Potential
“You are not your circumstances. You are your possibilities. If you know that, you can do anything.” — Oprah Winfrey
Now that you know how to define potential, you can choose to unleash it with changes to your mindset, routines, and daily habits.
In her TedTalk, best-selling author and chef Nadia Damaso unpacks how to reach your full potential. She shares two inspirational life lessons that can help you move towards achieving any goal:
- Do things that are hard for as long as you can until they become easy
- Turn your fears and weaknesses into your biggest strengths
With this in mind, I’m going to share some of the best methods to unlock your full potential.
1. Develop a Growth Mindset
True growth exists on the other side of your comfort zone.
When it comes to achieving full potential, mindset is key. And once you establish a growth mindset, there’s no stopping you!
What Is Growth Mindset?
American psychologist Dr. Carol Dweck developed the concept of a growth mindset based on her belief that you can cultivate intelligence and skills through hard work. A growth mindset fosters a passion for expanding your knowledge to become the best version of you possible.
As we move through life, each experience we encounter has the potential to change our lives and the way we think.
Science backs this up. According to MindsetWorks, when you set yourself challenges to work towards, you are pushing the boundaries and, in turn, rewiring your brain.
So by setting goals and then achieving those goals, you’re actually inching closer to achieving your full potential and changing yourself for the better in the process.
Rather than simply shooting for the moon, setting smaller goals as stepping stones is vital to take you where you wish to be. Furthermore, by harnessing a growth mindset, you’ll be equipped to find beauty in the hard work that these little steps require as you inch closer to achieving your full potential.
2. Don’t Get Lost in Routine
Establishing a healthy routine can be an excellent tool for reaching your full potential. However, routines can also have the opposite effect if they cause you to stagnate.
The tendency to get lost in routine is always a possibility.
Let’s say, for example, that you have committed to the same patterns for the past several years and discovered comfort in doing so. You’re content, breezing through life and simply existing within your comfort zone.
But you’re yearning for change and improvement. This could be a change in career, the desire to see a new country, or perhaps even learning a language. Regardless of the change, you know that you’re craving it.
So what do you do? How do you free yourself from the bonds of comfort and routine?
Look Critically at Your Routine
Try to parse out what can be changed to ensure that you’re always moving forward. If it’s not working, discard it or change it. And if that change feels scary, then that’s even more of a signal that you should do it.
Always strive for more – the goal is to get to a point where you’re not only surviving but thriving.
3. Seek Support to Grow and Thrive
As you work towards reaching your full potential, it is essential to have an environment of supportive people in your corner.
People often struggle to ask for help. We hear the voices in our heads that say, “don’t be needy” or “don’t impose,” and we feel afraid to get the support we need when we need it.
But you don’t get what you don’t ask for. Don’t be afraid to reach out to those around you and ask for advice or guidance to fuel your drive. Their support will help you get one step closer to the destination of your highest self.
Remember: No One Does It Alone
It takes a village, as the saying goes. Nobody thrives in isolation. Even the most successful people use coaches, mastermind groups, mentors, and their personal support networks.
Your relationship with your inner circle shapes who you become, so choose your circle wisely.
As motivational speaker Jim Rohn has said: “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”
Surround yourself with people who uplift and inspire you to keep going.
4. Focus On Your Goals
A life with purpose and meaning helps you reach your full potential daily.
Ask yourself – what are your life goals?
What Do You Wish to Achieve in This Lifetime?
By establishing long term goals, you know exactly where you hope to be and create a framework to get there. This, in turn, provides you with the motivation to excel.
By attaching actionable steps to each goal, you will know exactly what you need to do daily to stay on track, hit your targets, and ultimately unleash your full potential.
The SMART framework is an ideal tool to help you establish actionable, valuable, and achievable goals. It states that every goal should have five elements. Each goal should be:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Relevant
- Time-bound
Another thing to keep in mind when considering your goals is to ensure you have the right balance between difficulty and outcome.
Research has found that reaching your full potential requires a push beyond easy goals. In contrast, unattainable goals that exceed your ability will lead to failure and disappointment. For the best results, set moderately complex goals that challenge you without overwhelming you.
Identifying and setting goals is the force that drives you toward reaching your full potential and doing all it takes to get there.
5. Master Your Foundational Practices
In his podcast, Neuroscience professor and podcast host Dr. Andrew Huberman shares some great insights into how to master your foundational practices. These include:
- Getting a good night’s sleep.
- Going to bed at the same time every night.
- Exposing your eyes to sunlight, ideally within an hour of waking up.
- Dealing with stress. Huberman recommends breathwork, among other psychological tools, as a useful method for controlling stress.
- Increasing your stress threshold through cold immersion, such as ice baths and cold showers. This also floods your brain and body with the motivation chemical dopamine, which can help you focus for hours immediately following exposure.
- Finally, limit light exposure in the evening to prepare for a good night’s rest.
You undoubtedly know what it feels like to wake up having not slept well the night before and how this drastically affects your performance in work and life.
By mastering the day-in-and-day-out foundational basics that your body and mind require, you put yourself in the best possible space for achieving everything that you’ve set out to achieve.
6. Never Stop Dreaming or Setting New Goals
Reaching your full potential is the dance between passion and willpower.
Sometimes we are unable to reach our potential due to the restraints we have placed on ourselves. Yet, we forget we put these restraints on in the first place. In order to progress, we first have to remember the limits we’ve put on ourselves, then habitually remove them.
When you begin a task with an eye toward the potential outcome, you limit the actions necessary to achieve that outcome. To remedy this, try and focus less on the result and more on the process.
Potential Is a Journey, Not a Destination.
Work towards unleashing your potential continuously. Once you feel that you have accomplished your goals, set new ones.
It is no secret that high-achieving and successful individuals constantly strive to improve even after reaching their peak.
By consistently setting new goals after achieving existing ones, you continue the path of development and unlock new potential along the way.
Expanding your potential means also expanding your knowledge. Learn consistently, devote yourself to self-improvement, and make sure that each goal you set lays the foundation for the next.
“Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do. Do not bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.”
William Faulkner
7. Become Your Authentic Self
A person’s authentic self is who they really are at their core, according to their values and beliefs. When you start living in alignment with your true self, you’ll discover a deeper meaning of life.
Your Authentic Self
Getting to know your authentic self is one of the most powerful things you can do, so don’t shy away from discovering who you really are.
When you learn to accept yourself while also wanting to strive for more, you’ll experience significant shifts and feel your potential expand.
Why not cultivate some self-love to get comfortable with who you truly are deep down? Getting raw and real with yourself can be challenging for some, as vulnerability comes at a price.
But it’s worth it, as on the other side exists an abundance of limitless opportunities for growth toward your highest potential.
Always remember to be yourself. Don’t try to be someone you’re not; don’t change yourself just to please others. It’s your life, and you’re the creator of your story.
8. Learn to Accept and Utilize Failure
“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, and how you can still come out of it.”
Maya Angelou
Failures are a natural part of life. It’s normal to run into unexpected problems and falter. But the key here is to see failure as an opportunity for growth rather than a hindrance.
When you step out of your comfort zone and dive into the unknown, you’re taking a risk. Risk-taking requires you to overcome your fears and have faith that everything will work out. You have to put trust in these risks or risk not doing anything at all and staying stagnant.
Sometimes when we fail or fall, we examine what behaviors led to the failure. But it’s more effective to focus on our strengths – the superpowers that will allow us to overcome failure the next time we try.
Remember: Failure Isn’t Permanent
Failure is a necessary part of striving to achieve difficult things. No failure is ever a waste – it’s simply an opportunity for learning, reframing, and redirection.
Ready to Discover Your True Potential?
Now that we have covered the necessary stepping stones to reach your full potential, are you ready to start living your best life?
For those hungry for a purpose-filled badass life, I have something special for you.
I have devoted my time and energy to understanding the powerful processes of self-discovery and growth. I use these every day with clients seeking profound change.
If you desire personal or professional transformation, I’d be honored to guide you toward achieving everything you’ve ever dreamed of.
The best place to start is by checking out my new book, written with you in mind.
