Potential & Personal Growth| Individual Success

Maximize Our God Given Potential

Potential means something powerful that lies within each one of us.

Potential is that which has power or potency that can but has not yet come into existence or into sight. It is an unexposed ability, reserved power, untapped strength, hidden talent, dormant gifts, etc. The potential exists in possibility, not in reality.

Potential demands everyone not to settle for what one has accomplished. Remember God has created everything with potential, including you and me. God wants us to maximize the potential He has given us by taking each step daily. God never intended to measure success in our lives by the opinion of others or the standards set by the society in which we live. Many people settle for mediocrity in their thoughts, attitudes or actions for the sake of others around them. Mediocrity is living below our true potential. It is time to put off those negative mind-sets and rise higher. God has put in us everything we need to live victorious life. Now it is up to us to draw it out. The advice of St. Paul is worth to mention:

“We are not to conform any longer to the standards of the world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our mind.”

(Roman 12:2)

Everything in life has the potential to fulfil its purpose. People who die without achieving their full potential rob the generation of their latent ability. To die with ability is irresponsible. God packaged some things in us for the good of the world. It is our duty to utilize it perfectly. Every individual, no matter how poor or rich, we have childhood dreams. It is the key to our fulfillment. If you simply sit on your dreams, you need a good reason on judgement day to justify why you never used it. If you believe in your dreams, start the process and pray that God opens doors and brings people who can help you to move your dreams to the next level. Our ultimate potential in Christ:

“Now unto Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.” (Ephesians 3:20)

There are some essential things one can do to maximize the potential:

1. You must cultivate your potential:

Potential is like a seed it is a hidden ability that needs to be cultivated. You must feed your potential with the fertilizer of encouragement and water it with hard work and determination.

“ Keep a close watch on all you do and think. Stay true to what is right and God will bless you and use you to help others.”

(1 Timothy 4:16)

2. You must guard your potential:

It's tragic when a tree dies in a seed-form or a person dies in childhood. It’s sad when the potentialities are not yet actualized. With all the wealth of your potential, you must be careful enough to guard and protect it.

But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.

(2 Cor.4:7)

You must guard your visions and dreams against transgression, discouragement, procrastination, failure, opinions, distractions, traditions and compromise.

3. You must share your potential:

Potential can only be fulfilled when it is shared with the right people. Surround yourself with people who will encourage you. A poor environment such as one filled with negative people will drain your energy and become a block to actualizing your potential. If you don’t put that seed in an environment conducive to growth, it will not take root. The true measure of fulfilled potential is not what is accomplished, but who receives benefit from the accomplishment.

“Put these abilities to work; throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone may notice your improvement and progress.” (1 Timothy 4:15)

“Don’t let anyone think little of you because you are young. Be their ideal; let them follow the way you teach and live; be a pattern for them in your love, your faith and your clean thoughts.” (1 Timothy 4:12)

4. You must reflect on your life:

The first step is to allocate 15 to 20 minutes of quiet reflection every day. It's a kind of meditation, but you have to get away from all the distractions in your daily life such as phone, social networks etc. Just open up your mind and think, analyze, consider, ponder, contemplate, imagine, visualize, and dream. Think about your past, your present, and your future. Ask yourself questions like what am I capable of? What are my strengths? Where do I want to be after 5 years, 10 years and 20 years? You will acquire a new level of understanding, insight, consciousness, and awareness.

“For the Holy Spirit, God’s gift does not want you to be afraid of people, but to be wise and strong, and to love them and enjoy being with them.” (2 Timothy 1:7)

5. You must become a life-long learner:

Just observe, analyze and try to learn something new every day. An open mind is necessary to condition to actualize your potentials. There is no wealth like knowledge, no poverty like ignorance.

“Learn to be wise”, he says “and develop good judgement and common sense! I cannot overemphasize this point. Cling to wisdom — she will protect you. Love her-she will guard you.” (Proverbs 4:5–6)

6. You must embrace change:

It's impossible to actualize your full potential if you are not willing to change. You should become dynamic, adaptive, and evolving. Realize that change is good and change is exciting. If you become stuck in your ways, your personal development will stagnate. Remember one does not discover new lands without losing sight of the shore.

“And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:11)

7. You must set a goal to work toward:

It's easy to feel aimless when you don’t have a concrete goal you are working towards.

• State your goal positively.(instead of “I want to be less worried about my appearance.” write “ I want to be confident about my appearance.”)
• Be specific. The more specific you are, the easier it will be to define success.

“And it is he who will supply all your needs from his riches in glory, because of what Christ Jesus has done for us.” (Philippians 4:19)

8. You must accept your failures:

Setbacks and failures will happen, they’re part of the game. Failures are simply a way to show you what works and what does not. They will help you to figure out what you are capable of and what all steps are required as you move towards achieving your goals.

Sometimes failures in some areas become the blessing for us to recheck the path we were travelling,(did we were walking as per the will of God or not?), the best plan of God to show us the right way to take to become successful. We can’t predict what happens in the very next moment but God knows and failures or setback (that we think) even becomes the blessing as a protection for us from something more miserable.

As Vivekananda said, “Failures are stepping stones to success”.

“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.” (Isaiah 41:10)

9. You must become an optimist:

This is the key. Every negative thought that you replay in your mind is like an anchor holding back. Liberate yourself from the negative by seeing the positive in every situation in all possible ways.

“You can’t direct the wind, but you can adjust your sail.”

Such visualizing past success stories would give you the mental boost to overcome failures in a better way. Remember, every setback is an opportunity to bring yourself closer to God and through His words gives you all strength to fight the situation in a better way.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

“When the time is right, I the Lord will make it happen.”

(Isaiah 60:22)

10. You must set your own benchmark:

Don’t ever think your accomplishments are too small to be proud of. Rather, set your own benchmark. Be proud of yourself if you’re making progress. Some people may progress faster in life than others. That’s okay. Life is not a sprint; it's a marathon. Focus on what you can do to improve yourself instead of comparing yourself with others. It doesn’t matter how slowly you go, what matters is whether you are moving forward or not.

“A cheerful heart does good like medicine, but a broken spirit makes one sick.” (Proverbs 17:22)

Many people know that they possess great potential but they still fail to move beyond good intentions to experience the fullness of their lives. This is because their desire for comfort is more than their passion. They are more concerned with fitting in than standing out. Remember your Creator wants you to maximize your potential because in doing so, you will bring glory to His name.

“Timothy, I’ve run the race. I’ve finished the course. I’ve kept the faith. I’ve done my work. My award awaits me. I’m ready to die. Keep working after I’m gone.” (2 Timothy 4:5–7)

Without considering the past God can turn things around. According to St. Paul, the breakthrough that we desire on the ‘outside’ must begin ‘inside’ that is, we must first change the way we think and start believing that Jesus Christ can work in our lives. Jesus demonstrated the ultimate nature of the potential in mankind.

“Everything is possible for one who believes” (Mk 9:23)

This was the mindset of Jesus. Life is a process of growing and developing. It is an exploration into our God-given potential for His glory.