Having potential is great. It frees us to dream and consider many possibilities of who we can be and what we can do with our lives. But potential by itself is meaningless if we don’t also seek to actualize it – bringing our hopes and dreams into a lived reality.
Of course, we’re not likely to move forward when the path doesn’t even seem possible. For instance, not everyone has the body type or temperament to play professional football. And there is wisdom in recognizing our potential or lack thereof in our various pursuits.
At the same time, mere potential is not enough. Having the right body type and temperament means nothing until someone actually tries out and consistently shows up to practice.
And this is true throughout our life and relationship.
It’s one thing to talk about our potential – all the great things we could do and how great our relationships can be. But this is all just talk until we put in the sweat equity to bring these dreams into reality.
And this is where our fears, doubts, and many insecurities are prone to take us out. A dream can remain perfectly visualized when it’s just a possibility. But things get messy, and setbacks likely, as soon as we attempt to flesh it out. And rarely, if ever, will things turn out as we had originally envisioned. And this uncertainty makes it easier to simply talk about our possibilities rather than to actually try them out.
But this is the greater failure – never having enough courage to put our potential to the test. It’s better to try and fail than to never try at all. And an effort to actualize our potential is the only thing that helps us move toward realizing it.
Dream and let your potential greatness inspire you. But take the risk to actually put this into practice and not just talk about it.
Photo by Karsten Winegeart on Unsplash
