Lifestyle
How to expand human potential to find more meaning in your life
The human potential we are emotionally capable of is infinite.
The only limitations to realizing more and more of our potential are self-imposed. They are imaginary boundaries constructed by our minds.
Often these boundaries are beautifully crafted machinations of our imagination that feel utterly true and impenetrable.
The role of self-esteem in unlocking potential
Expanding our potential is a function of:
- Our self-image
- Our level of self-confidence
- Our level of self-esteem
- Our level of self-efficacy
Our willingness to question, explore and travel beyond our imagined boundaries.
Our potential is not something ‘out there’ that we chase and capture; it is within and is something we can expand into.
It also doesn’t require a huge amount of effort.
Facing Challenges: A Gateway to Transformation
When we face a challenge, regardless of its magnitude and regardless of the outcome, we have evolved into someone new.
Because when we face a challenge, we immediately encounter one of our personal boundaries (the imaginary boundaries).
A head start is an opportunity to walk away, to capitulate to fear and self-doubt, and, conversely, to move toward our fears and self-doubt.
If we capitulate, we become smaller.
As we move forward, we expand.
When we face a challenge, face it, and come out the other side of it, we have been transformed into the person who did the thing that just seconds ago challenged us not to do the thing.
This is a moment that can be lost, or used to create the extraordinary.
If we want to create the lives we dream of, we cannot allow ourselves to diminish these moments, as may be our tendency, because of more of our imaginary boundaries.
We are conditioned to live in the shadows of our successes because celebrating them is “cocky” or arrogant.
Our celebration does not have to be external, but it should certainly be internal.
We need to celebrate and empower ourselves, and embrace that recognizing ourselves is neither conceited nor arrogant.
Additionally, when we do this, we release the pleasure hormone dopamine, which trains our mind to take on more challenges, creating a powerful cycle.
So when we face and overcome challenges, we create a new iteration of ourselves and unlock a new existence.
Within that new existence lie opportunities and possibilities that were previously unavailable to us.
The opportunities and possibilities were always there; they just weren’t available to us mentally and emotionally.
It becomes a choice, and perhaps one of the most important choices of our lives, to seize these new opportunities and possibilities.
This requires us to recreate a new iteration of ourselves, and the cycle continues.
“By realizing one’s own potential and self-confidence in one’s own abilities, one can build a better world.” – Dalai Lama
Our human potential is therefore infinite.
You might think the next obvious question is, “How?”
How do we expand into our infinite potential? What are the steps we need to take?
How is critical, but “Why?” creates the fuel to consistently meet challenges and expand our lives.
The why?” varies from person to person, but I believe the root of the “Why?” is universal.
As part of our shared human experience, we long for meaning.
We want our lives to have meaning and purpose. It is inherent to us and part of us the way our hair is, no matter what color it is.
We don’t create meaningful lives by staying in our status quo; we create meaningful lives by going within and understanding who we really are and who we want to be.
Create your personal operating system
One of the ways we do this is by creating our own personal operating system.
Our own personal operating system consists of three components:
Our core values, principles and mantra for life.
Core values: These are our Northstar.
Principles: These are the basic principles we adhere to for how we want to show up in the world.
Mantra: This single sentence captures the essence of how you want to live and how you show up.
What do we stand for and what determines our decisions and choices. Because our lives are the totality of our decisions and choices (see above).
Life becomes crystal clear when we establish and embody our personal operating system.
Our priorities change and we make more extensive choices.
Our “Why?” and our “How?” become intertwined
Through this interconnectedness we find the strength to continuously utilize our potential.
When we expand our potential, we cultivate the meaning and purpose we have always longed for.
