Three reasons why we never reach our potential level of success
March 13, 2008 – 5:02 am1. We deny that we have any potential
(photo by LabGP & SigOther’s)
No one expects you to do anything that you are not capable of. Right? Just convince everyone that you are currently performing at your maximum level of ability. After you’ve done that, you just coast.
The problem is that maintaining this facade can be difficult when circumstances cause you to rise above the level of mediocrity. In times of:
- great need – you find another income source so that you can purchase something that you desire
- urgency – you do more in less time when there is a time component
- catastrophe – you rise to high levels of performance when the situation leaves you no choice
- personal desire – you become more efficient and productive so that you can leave early for vacation
2. Procrastination – The I’ll do it tomorrow syndrome
There’s always plenty of time. Right? No!
- There is a limit to the time that you have available
- There is a limit to the amount of time that you will be able to perform at high levels
Time is the one resource that is limited – you only get a certain amount
Here is something to think about. The things that you do today will determine your tomorrow. How can you expect an extraordinary future when you keep doing average things today?
Today is yesterday’s tomorrow.
- Is today remarkably different than yesterday?
- Do you expect tomorrow to be different than today?
- Why do you think tomorrow will be different than today if you keep putting off doing the things that can change your future?
3. Fear
(photo by Violator3)
Let’s face it – it’s scary if you stray too far from the herd of mediocrity. The great mass of commonness, sameness and in-the-box thinking is:
- where all our friends are
- feels safe
- easy – almost like no effort at all
- comfortable
- easy, easy, easy
Animals that stay together in herds do so because there is safety in large numbers.
- It is more difficult for predators to pick out an individual target.
- Weaker animals can be moved to the center of the herd and protected.
Do you need to be protected from success? Are you too weak to be successful? You’ll never find out until you separate yourself from the status quo.
How is your shoulder performance and flexibility?
5 Responses to “Three reasons why we never reach our potential level of success”
This is a great post Chris!
In my opinion FEAR is the single biggest obstacle in people creating their best lives.
Far too many of our significant ‘life decisions’ come out of our fearful mindset, and as a consequence, many of us live a life of compromise, under-achievement and imprisonment. And repetition. And repetition.
It’s like some of us are Bill Murray in Groundhog Day. And repetition. All of our days are just like the ones before. And sadly for some, tomorrow will be the same too. Because that’s what we do; the same - even though we desperately want different.
The journey between where we are and where we want to be scares the crap out of us so we stay put. In Samesville. A.K.A. ‘prison of the mind’.
Great blog Chris!
Craig
Craig Harper - Motivational Speaker’s last blog post..The Fifty Success Habits
By Craig Harper - Motivational Speaker on Mar 16, 2008
Hi Craig,
You have stated very eloquently the thoughts that I was trying to convey. Fear makes us prisoners of our lives rather than the rulers we could be.
Your insight is fantastic, I will be stopping by for more soon.
By Chris Melton on Mar 16, 2008
Just food for thought - perhaps #1 and #3 are really rooted in the same thing? I say that as I reflect upon my own experiences and challenges with reaching my potential.
I’ve been thinking about the fact that for a while now, I’ve denied my potential. Not in as obvious ways as you write about, which is why I’ve been in denial that I was denying my potential.
But once I started to see that I was viewing myself as “less than,” I also started to see that the view was rooted in fear (#3).
In other words, I saw that the reason I denied my potential was because I had fears of what fulfilling my potential would mean - things like quitting my comfortable high paying job to actually follow my deeper desires, or having to embrace subtler parts of my personality and experience that I haven’t expressed much due to lack of comfort (the less we express something, the more foreign it feels).
I could go on about some of those subtler fears that arose through my understanding of denying my potential.
On the bright side, since awareness is the first step towards real and meaningful change, I have been moving more and more away from fear and embracing my greatest potential.
Now that fear has transformed into excitement
Though for the most part it’s not in that “I can’t wait for…” kind of excitement, but in a more literal and in-the-moment context. My energy is more excited, more alive… sort of like the protons and electrons in my body are bouncing faster and more vibrantly than they were before.
And of course a little bit of that “I wonder what’s going to happen next?” kind of excitement is there sometimes…
By Chris Cade on Apr 4, 2008
Hi Chris - I guess that I didn’t consider that #1 & #3 could both be rooted in the same emotions, but it is plausible and you argument is very logical.
I too, denied my potential for a long time, due to a “good” job and great benefits. But now, everyday is a source of excitement and and anticipation. I can really relate to your “wonder what’s going to happen next” emotions.
Thanks for stopping by, I’ll be checking out your blog for more great insights.
By Chris Melton on Apr 4, 2008