Catalyze Your Purpose (Part 3: Discovering the Potential Within)
What do you think of when you hear the word potential?
Do you think of someone or something that has more to them than is being shown? Or maybe you think of something great in someone that they aren’t quite living up to yet.
Well, you are right to think all of those!
At it’s core, potential is something or someone who has much more greatness in them to be developed.
You see, each of us has a potential within us that is like a hidden wealth that we need to dig up, develop and use. But honestly, sometimes it’s just hard for us to see that potential within us on our own.
When I asked a group of women entrepreneurs what potential meant to them, these were some of the answers:
“To me, potential is something that’s hidden, that needs to be dug up. But, the right person knows it’s there. Like precious gems, we know they are in the earth, it just takes digging in the right places with the right tools, and perseverance to keep going! Also, polishing them once they are extracted-I believe that’s like the finished product of tapping into your own potential or someone else helping you to do that. We are all diamonds in the rough”. – Kara Ann Yager, Holistic Health Mentor
“Potential is the gap between where we are and what we are capable of accomplishing” – Latia Jefferson, Female Empowerment and Confidence Coach
“Potential means possibility! It’s the difference between current reality and what it could be!”- Allie Davis, Business & Mindset Coach
COMPARISON IS THE DEATH OF OUR POTENTIAL
Let’s be real. We are all way too hard on ourselves and especially as women, often look at what we are NOT instead of what we ARE.
And that comparison, may lead to the death of your potential.
Does this sound familiar?
“I’m not as smart at her. Look at all she’s accomplish in such a short time? I’ll never do that.”
“I don’t have public speaking skills, so I will never be confident enough to share with people about my purpose, passion, or business.”
“I don’t have the time or the resources to move forward in my purpose or calling.”
But what if we changed our thinking and words to what we ARE and what we DO have?
What if we sounded more like this?
“I may not have the exact skills as her or have accomplished all of that, but I have move forward in my destiny and that is worth celebrating.”
“I may not feel comfortable speaking in public or to strangers now, but I will be because I have something of value to offer them.”
“I may not have what I think I need to move forward, but I will use what I have and take one step at a time.”
It’s time that we stop comparing and looking at others on the outside, and start discovering and looking at the beauty on the inside.
Comparison that is coming out of a jealous, envious, and insecure heart will never maximize or release or potential. It will destroy it and will leave us living unhappy, purposeless and meaningless lives.
Discovering The Potential Within
Discovering, pursuing and thriving in your potential and purpose is one of the greatest tasks you will ever do in your life.
In his book Maximizing Your Potential, Dr. Myles Munroe states the urgency with releasing your potential below:
Learning to tap the hidden wealth of your potential is the greatest task and the most pressing need of your life because if you do not discover how to expose and use this treasure, you will die with it.
After reading this statement, I was absolutely shaken. I was shaken because that maximizing the potential within me and helping others to do the same is no light-hearted or lackadaisical task.
We all have so much greatness and purpose with in us and to die without using that purpose, is one of the greatest tragedies I hope the world never faces.
Even if you have accomplished much in your life time and really feel like you are pursuing your purpose, “what you have done is only a mere fraction of who you are [and what else you can do]”
So in order for us to truly maximize and pursue our potential, Dr. Myles Munroe shares that there are 6 keys that can help us release the potential within us.
6 Keys to Releasing Your Potential
1. KNOW YOUR SOURCE: In order to know why you were made and what your potential and purpose is, you must know your source and who created you. As a Christian, I believe that knowing God is the key to experiencing a purposeful and satisfying life, and releasing our potential.
If you are interested in learning more about why I believe that or even have questions about God or spirituality, please let me know. I would love to talk to you 🙂
2. UNDERSTAND HOW YOU WERE DESIGNED TO FUNCTION: Once you know your source and the One that created you, you will begin to know better how you were created to live and function. For Christians, God calls us to live by faith and to see that our potential is directly correlated to our willingness to live the life He has for us.
By surrendering our lives, dreams and desires to His will, we will begin to see more of what our purpose and potential is.
3. KNOW YOUR PURPOSE: Not only do you need to know who your Maker is or the function you must play in this world, you also need to discover the “specific reason for your existence and the accompanying assignment” here in this world. Essentially, you must discover your Creator’s purpose for your life.
Dr. Myles Munroe states that by discovering your purpose, you are able to reveal the potential hidden in you and by discovering your potential, it enables you to fulfill your purpose.
4.UNDERSTAND YOUR RESOURCES: Look at the available resources in front of you and around you that can be used to fulfill your purpose and unleash your potential. God has given us so many resources, but often we tend to look at what we don’t have instead of what we do.
However, be sure that you do not let these resources take the place of the Source, or God because He ultimately is the one that is going to move, and shift, and unleash your potential.
5. MAINTAIN THE RIGHT ENVIRONMENT: In order to maximize and release your potential, you must maintain the right environment that is conducive to that process. Without a conducive environment, our potential could die because it’s not being fostered, encouraged or supported.
For example, if you are the only entrepreneur in your group of friends or family, it may be hard to continue growing in that potential if they aren’t supportive. So you need to make sure to get around other entrepreneurs who will not only support you, but help you move forward in your purpose and potential.
6. WORK OUT YOUR POTENTIAL: Potential and purpose can never be actualized when it just stays in your heart and brain – it must be worked out and action must be taken.
You can dream and hope all day to be that graphic designer, start that project, or start your own business. But until you actually take action, it won’t happen.
And not only will it not happen, you AND the world will be missing out on something great because your purpose and potential will die with you instead of being used to transform this world.
When you refuse to work, you deny yourself the opportunity to fulfill your potential and your purpose, and you forfeit the productivity that could have blessed yourself and others. Therefore, you steal from the world. – Dr. Myles Munroe
HOW WILL YOU RELEASE YOUR POTENTIAL?
What step do you need to take to move forward in discovering, pursuing, thriving and releasing the potential within you?
- Do you need to take some time to know your Source and who created you?
- Do you need to understand your Creator’s function for you?
- Maybe you need to know your purpose and the resources available to you to fulfill that purpose.
- Or maybe you just need to find the right environment you can grow, thrive and work out your potential in.
Whatever your next step is, I encourage you to really make it a priority to take that step. Your potential is something only you can fulfill and choose to move forward in, so you must make it one of the most important things you invest in.
SUPPORT FOR YOU
If you are looking for support and coaching around how you can move forward in your potential and purpose, I would love to journey deeper with you in that.
Please book a 30 minute complimentary Purpose Clarity Call so we can work out some next steps for you, as well as discuss what 1:1 purpose coaching could look like specifically for you. You can book that call >>HERE<<.
And as always, feel free to join us in the Women of Purpose online community where together we support one another every day in being the women we were created to be, and taking the necessary steps to fulfill the purpose and potential we individually were created to do. Join us >>HERE<<.
