Chapter Four

Unlock Your Potential

The common phrase often heard when people are confronted with failures is, ‘you have hidden potential, unlock it’. It helps motivate the unsuccessful person. The fact is that everyone has a potential which is unrecognized and unused. Potential is the ability or capacity of a person. Majority of people don’t endeavour to unlock their potential as they live in their comfort zones. Perhaps this is because their lives have gone the way they had planned it. Or it may be that they have not faced failures in their lives.

When you look at successful people, it is obvious that they have utilized most of their hidden potential. It would not have been possible for them to touch their tipping point if they had not uncorked their hidden potential. It would not have been possible for them to be successful, if they had failed to recognize this truth. The current generation should realize this truth and they must learn to tap their hidden potential to achieve all-round success.

The Story of an Elephant

The human mind is very powerful. It has a huge potential but people don’t realize this fact as they are often clouded by mental barriers. Here goes the story of an elephant that lived its entire life with mental limitations.

When the elephant was born, it was tied to a pole with a rope. The baby elephant tried its level best to tear the rope but failed miserably. When it grew big in size it was still tied with the same rope. However, the elephant did not try to break the rope even at this stage as it thought that this was an impossible act. But the truth is that the elephant had grown in size and strength. Unfortunately, the elephant had retained its mental limitations. Similarly, we have mental limitations—we think that we cannot achieve certain things in life, having encountered failures in the past. Les Brown rightly remarked, ‘Life has no limitations, except the ones you make’. Just because people fail once, they should not come to the conclusion that they will fail forever. Failure occurs when there is misalignment of various factors and forces, both internally and externally. It is based on circumstances, challenges and realities prevailing at a particular point of time. Once there is a shift in circumstances and better experience, you should take up the possibility of trying again (though you may have failed before) with different strategies to achieve success. Hence, break your mental limitations, learn to realize your hidden potential and unlock it to achieve all-round success.

Keys to Unlock Your Potential

There are several keys for unlocking your potential. These keys will take you to success. Here are some tips to unlock your potential:

• Face challenges squarely. When you are forced to the corner, the best within you will come out. Realize the fact that difficulties will not destroy you; rather, they will make your stronger and tougher.
• Be a risk taker. Most people fail to unlock their potential by avoiding risks. Most of the people live in comfort zones, not in effective action zones, and that is why they do not flourish. Remember to keep reserves ready when you take risks in life.
• Delete negative thoughts from your mind and replace the same with positive thoughts.
• Overcome your weaknesses and utilize your strengths.
• Learn and grow continuously. This is one of the seven habits of highly effective people outlined by Stephen R. Covey. Learning is a life-long process. It is a major tool to uncork your potential.
• Solitude is fortitude. When you go to a serene place and think, you may find the meaning of your life and realize your hidden potential. It will create the link between your vision and mission, paving the way for your success.
• Overcome your apprehensions and anxieties. Be confident of your own potential.
• Be a hard worker. Don’t take life for granted. It is full of peaks and valleys.
• Try to touch your upper limits. We should concentrate on our potential rather than our limitations.
• Develop self-esteem. It helps stay motivated by overcoming depression.
• Don’t give up. Pursue your ambitions up to the hilt without any let up.

Marianne Willamson said, ‘Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond imagination’. She also said, ‘We ask ourselves—who are we to be brilliant, beautiful, talented, and fabulous? But honestly, who are you to not be so?’. Nowadays, there is rapid advancement in technology as new technologies are developed everyday. All these achievements were possible because man thought beyond his limits and imagination and made use of his hidden potential.

Unlocking your potential is one of the best ways to make your life exciting. It is like a ladder and a roadmap to your success. To conclude in the words of Eddie Robinson, ‘The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential … these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence’.