How to Uncover Your Hidden Potential

“I have to know me to grow me.” – John Maxwel

You are much more capable and remarkable than you give yourself credit for.

You may not be able to see it right now but there is amazing potential within you.

There is amazing potential within all of us but it just needs to be uncovered.

It is hidden from us because of all the past hurts, disappointments, failures, and put downs that have tainted our self-image and belief about who we are.

Each time someone told you that you weren’t good enough, smart enough, or talented enough, you gradually started to become doubtful about who you were and what you could become. As your self-worth lowered, you began to hide behind a veil of people pleasing, overachieving, or careless living.

How long have you been hiding behind a mask of insecurity? You may be so used to playing these other roles you don’t even realize that it’s preventing the unfolding of a greater you.

Stop being something you are not. Don’t cover-up the natural qualities and incredible nature that you were endowed with.

It’s time to embrace the person you can become and find the potential hidden behind your insecurities and pain.

You are worthy of success and happiness

Many people are held back because they don’t believe they are worthy of success. They can’t see themselves beyond the run of the mill life they are accustomed to. They look for opportunities from a limited perspective of what they already have and can’t see past this.

You can look beyond your current position, income, influence, or whatever it may be.

Your sense of self-worth will have a huge impact on what you are willing to do, so take off the blinders blocking your brilliance and go for it.

What do you believe you deserve? Can you look at yourself in the mirror and say “I deserve to be happy and successful?”

Say this to yourself until you believe it.

It just takes some work

Even if you don’t see it yet, there is greatness within you, but it takes working on yourself first. Potential comes from character development and having within us what we want to give to the world.

Whether it is leadership, creativity, generosity, compassion, courage, kindness, or confidence, you can cultivate this trait.

The list of universal traits that all human beings possess is endless.

The catch is, we must realize that to become more compassionate for instance, will take hard work, study, and practice if it goes against our current conditioning. It requires work from the inside out to make lasting change.

We see other people using these traits and assume that they are not within us, but each character trait you can think of is a natural human capacity. You, me, and every other person in the world can deepen and develop these attributes if we take self-growth and transformation seriously.

Pick one character trait to begin developing in you today.

Get over your fear of failure

When we review our past experiences we might be prone to second guessing what were capable of. We may contest that our potential is limited because of all the times we have failed and all the people who told us our ideas were stupid.

What if the greatest inventors or creators in the world had listened to the naysayers or viewed their failure as permanent?

Those who persevere use failure as a learning experience. They realize it teaches them exactly what they are needing to know.

Believe in your capabilities and success before you have delivered. See yourself as you desire to be and don’t be afraid of this potential. Your greatness is not an illusion or a grandiose belief, but is something that will come in due time.

Consider why you failed and explore what you can do next time. Use failure as a teacher to learn where you still need to do some work.

Who do you admire most?

If you are struggling to notice where your seeds of potential need to be sown, just look around you for people you admire and respect. If you admire someone who is compassionate or incredibly kind for instance, it is likely that you see something in them that is also in you.

You admire these people because of the value they offer, and are connected and drawn to these traits because it is exactly what you need in your evolution.

Use these figures as role models for the person you can become. Be willing to have mentors to help guide and teach you on your path.

Select a biography to read to begin learning about the life of a role model, and contact one person who can be a mentor as you make your journey.

Transform pain into purpose

Life is all about overcoming adversity. In order to see our potential we must heal from our past pain. This is because our emotional pain shrouds our self-image in doubt and inadequacy. When we make meaning from our past hurts we can see that pain has a purpose.

Personal struggles can be a powerful source for uncovering our potential and purpose. Personal struggles help us be more honest with ourselves and how we are living, and to get in touch with a purpose beyond ourselves.

Think of all the people who have lost a loved one, or experienced a personal tragedy, only to create a foundation or become an advocate in support of this cause.

We are given a desire in order to fulfill it. This means that we are fully equipped to achieve this desire if we are willing to go for it and find the opportunities amidst the challenges.

My Connection

This is where I provide my personal connection to the ideas in the post. I hope you will join the conversation by leaving a comment, and offering your personal connection to these ideas as well.

I remember the day when I uncovered that my self-image didn’t have to be based on what people told me or the mistakes I had made. My past didn’t have to define who I was or determine the person I could become.

This insight couldn’t have came at a better time in my life, because it was becoming very natural to hide behind a mask of being an overachiever, a nice-guy, and an intellect, all with the goal of protecting myself from harm and filling the void of my low self-worth.

As long as I kept up this facade I thought I could protect my ego from further pain. Unfortunately, this facade only delayed me from really working on myself. It blinded me from uncovering areas of needed change.

When I learned my self-worth wasn’t based on what I had, what I did, or who I knew, I was able to see that I was a 10 and worthy of happiness and success despite what I did or what I had. As this happened my capacity for development expanded and what I viewed as possible grew.

I didn’t have to prove myself to others and because of this was able to really accept my flaws and begin making true change.

As I continue to transform myself, potential is becoming less about me, and more about what I can offer others and the world around me.

We all have this potential for great things if we’re willing to lay the foundation and sow the seeds.

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