How to Realize Your True Potential

People, regardless of skin colour, gender or personality, have an amazing ability to realize their potential, to feel confident, happy, and fulfilled. While this is not an easy task, there are concrete steps and changes you can make on your cognitive path.

Table of Contents

Thinking About Yourself

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Define your core values. To realize your full potential, you need to define and live your core values. These are the things that shape the way you see yourself, others, and the world around you. ^{[1] X Source of Research Studies} suggest that you will find your life more meaningful and have a deeper sense of happiness if you live a life that is “value-aligned”, or in line with what is most important to you. ^{[2] X Source of Research} Start by asking yourself the following questions: ^{[3] X Source of Research}

Think of two people you really admire. What do you admire about them? What inspires you? Why? How do you think those things might manifest in your own life?
Think of a moment in your life when you felt truly content and fulfilled. What is that? Why do you feel that way?
If you could change just one thing in your community, what would it be? Why?
If your home burned down (and your family and pets were all safe), what three items would you like to save? Why?

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Consider the responses to the topic. Once you’ve answered the questions above, check your responses to see if any themes or patterns stand out. ^{[4] X Research Source} For example, maybe you really admire your mother for her selflessness and understanding, or you admire your brother’s work ethic. Maybe you’ll save family photos, wedding photos, wedding gowns, and cherished family memorabilia. This implies that one of your valuable beliefs is relationships, especially with family.

Your value beliefs are yours, and no value is “higher” or “less than” value. Some people value competition, while others value cooperation. There is nothing “wrong” in either of these two types of value beliefs. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

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Identify areas that don’t align with your value beliefs. If you don’t feel like you’re living up to your true potential, it’s probably because some area of your life isn’t aligned with your values. For example, from a young age you were raised to be humble and not receive praise for your achievements, but your core value is recognition. You probably won’t feel like you’ve realized your true potential if you don’t recognize your accomplishments, and if people don’t acknowledge your dedication from time to time. Think about areas where your life doesn’t align with your value beliefs and whether you’d like to change those.

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Determine how to realize your true potential. Once you have an idea of your core values and the areas of your life where you can grow, take the time to sketch out the visuals as you realize your true potential. Is it personal growth? Is more career success (or even career change)? Or is it the potential for a relationship? If you’ve identified areas of your life that don’t align with values, that area might be the right place to start.

For example, you really value your family, but your job takes up so much time that you don’t have time to truly spend with your loved ones. Realizing your full potential here could be finding another job that takes up less time so you can be the husband, wife, father, mother or friend you want to be.
Or maybe you feel stuck in an often mediocre job with no hope of advancement, while your core value is aspiration. In this case, realizing your true potential could mean switching to a career that is more challenging and allows you to develop yourself on a new path.

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Visualize your ideal self in the future. Think about what it means to you to realize your full potential. Is it personal style? Is reaching a certain level of income? Or can you play the vipin? Everyone has different definitions of potential. What matters is what a sense of potential means to you. The “best possible self” exercise is a proven method for finding out what’s most important to you. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

Start by imagining that you are empowered to make your deepest hopes and dreams come true. What will your life in the future be like? What will you do, with whom will you live? How will you feel? Visualize in as much detail as possible. For example, if you picture someone who just opened her own bakery, think about where the bakery is located, how many employees it needs, what people think about your business, and how you feel. if self-employed.
Consider the strengths and skills your future self uses to get there. For example, if you have your own bakery, you need to be knowledgeable about the business, have good relationships with people, you are dynamic, you have a strong work ethic and baking skills, etc.
Think about what strengths and skills you already have and what needs further development. For example, perhaps you are an excellent baker and are ready to work hard, but you don’t know how to start a small business.
Decide how to develop the areas you have identified. In the example above, you could read business books, discuss with small business owners, and visit the website of the US Small Business Administration for guidance.
You can change your mind as you get to know yourself better. Take a step back and ask yourself why you cherish your true potential with that image, and whether that is theoretically achievable. If you can’t at least think this through, you’re probably missing out on the opportunity to redefine your potential with the joy and meaning that come with it.

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Be patient and generous with yourself. Finding your true potential takes time and effort. More importantly, it needs your sympathy for yourself. Confirm your strengths and skills as well as the areas in which you need to develop. Appreciate your own daily efforts towards realizing your true potential.

The Common Thought Trap Challenge

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Recognize and challenge generalizations. Generalization happens when you take an experience and generalize it to the whole world. ^{[7] X Sources of Research} This can prevent you from realizing your true potential because it is attributed to you: Once attribution, you will find yourself more than just a person with a few flaws. fail, but you are a “loser”. How can you be motivated to realize your true potential if you think that way?

For example, maybe you’re trying to invent a great future technology but haven’t been successful. You did the experiment 7 times and all failed. You can generalize from this fact and say, “I’ll never do this job because I’m a failure.”
To handle this better, think, “This experiment didn’t work, but that’s okay, now that I’ve had more experience with it, I can try something else that might work. .” You are not a failure. You are someone who learns from mistakes and can continue to grow.

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Recognize and challenge screening psychology. This thought trap can drag you behind because it bends your focus. ^{[8] X Sources of Research} When you filter, you focus on the negatives of the situation and ignore the positives. ^{[9] X Research Source}

For example, you received a school essay critique that was 70% positive, but you only focused on three points that your teacher said needed extra work and ignored the rest.
Challenge yourself to look at the situation through the eyes of an outsider. Try to list the facts of the situation as objectively as possible. In this case, you might say to yourself, “Out of ten criticisms, seven are compliments. Three points to improve, I can strive. These negatives do not detract from the positives.”

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Beware of “all or nothing” thinking. The “all or nothing” mindset often kills success, because success often doesn’t come perfectly right from the start. When you follow the “all or nothing” mindset, you don’t give yourself the path to compromise. Your efforts are either perfect, or fail. ^{[10] X Research Source}

For example, if you want to be able to play the violin, an “all or nothing” mindset will not accept a degree of imperfection. That way of thinking doesn’t allow you to rejoice in your gradual progress as you play a piece of music; it only judges you by the mistakes you make during the learning process.
Instead, tell yourself that perfection is an unrealistic standard that no one can achieve. Just one negative experience or one mistake cannot negate your progress. Be generous to yourself and to others.

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Stop aggravating the problem. This is another trap that prevents you from realizing your true potential. When we exaggerate, we let our thoughts spiral out of control. We wait for the worst to happen. ^{[11] X Source of Research} This scares the hell out of us to the point of not allowing ourselves to take the risk that leads to real success. ^{[12] X Research Source}

For example, realizing your true potential is leaving an unhappy relationship. But you think, what if I never find someone to love? I will have to live alone. The rest of my life will be unhappy. I’ll end up being eaten by my cat when I die alone in my unvisited apartment.
One way to combat exaggeration is to find evidence for every event you imagine. Is it true that you are incapable of finding someone else to love? Are not. There are billions of people in this world, isn’t there one person with whom you can live happily? Is it true that when you live alone, you will be lonely and eaten by cats? Are not. Many people live alone and still lead a fulfilling and rewarding social life.

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Stop the “I need to” mindset. This thought trap makes you feel like you have to live up to someone else’s standards. ^{[13] X Source of Research} It can prevent you from reaching your true potential because you judge your actions on what you feel you “should” do rather than what is right for you. ^{[14] X Research Source}

For example, when you hear people say that you “should” have children at a certain age, you may feel like a failure if you’re past that age and still haven’t had children. But think again: do you really want to have children or have children right now? Or are you letting the thought of “should” make you feel nauseous? As long as you’re living your values, all those “shoulds” don’t matter.
When you find yourself thinking about something related to a “should,” “need,” or “must,” think about where it comes from. If you determine that it stems from fear or pressure from others, resist that thought. ^{[15] X Research Source} For example, if you think, “I shouldn’t eat cake today because I should lose weight,” consider: you feel you should lose weight because your doctor advised you to do so because health, or do you feel pressured from society’s standards? If it’s for the first reason, reframe it to a positive goal: “I won’t eat that cake today because I’m striving to be healthier.” And if it’s the second reason, show more self-love: “I’m going to eat that cake today because I love myself with what I have, and I don’t have to give in to your wishes.” anyone else”.

Consciousness of Specific Goals

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Make a list of goals. Once you’ve envisioned your future self, it’s time to figure out how to get there. Your big task will be easier to accomplish if you break it down into easier, more manageable, and specific chunks. The strategy for setting personal goals is to make sure they make sense to you, and break them down into smaller goals that you can actually accomplish.

For example, if realizing one’s full potential is to play vipin, then that is the overall goal. You need to break it down into goals (actions that can be done) and tasks (small and specific things) to accomplish that goal.
So, if your goal is to be able to play the vipin, then goals might be to practice vibrato, study the work of various musicians, and go to school.
By breaking down, you can set tasks for yourself. Break down “going to school” into tasks like identifying a vipin teacher near where you live, funding to study, buying a piano, etc.

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Sort your goals by importance. Find out which goals are most important to you. What goals are you eager to achieve first? What goals are feasible based on your current financial situation, time, and/or other resources? Are there any goals that need to be accomplished before the rest? Focusing on improving in one or two areas will keep you from feeling overwhelmed. When you are overwhelmed, you will easily become discouraged and no longer want to pursue your goals because you think they are beyond your ability. ^{[16] X Research Source}

For example, if you think that being able to play vipin means accomplishing your goals of learning vibrato, practicing all of Vivaldi’s music, and learning how to tune, you might make tuning your goal your goal. most importantly, followed by vibrato practice, then learning all of Vivaldi’s music.
Sometimes there are goals that need to be accomplished before moving on to other goals. Vivaldi songs use many vibrato techniques, so you need to know vibrato before you can fully play Vivaldi’s music.
When you’re just starting out, focus on easy-to-achieve goals for early success and keep yourself motivated.
For example, you might make learning to tune the vipin your first goal, as it’s easier than learning a piece of Vivaldi, and as such it will help you keep learning and playing the vipin (as it will standard sound as you practice).

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Make a list of possible goals. After you’ve sorted your goals by importance, choose the two or three that are most important and make a list of daily tasks. This will help you gradually accomplish your larger goals over time. ^{[17] X Research Source Rouillard, L. (2009). Goals and Goal Setting : Achieve Measurable Results. Rochester, NY: Axzo Press.} For example, you can set a goal to practice vibrato exercises and learn Vivaldi music. ^{[18] X Research Sources}

Make sure not to pursue too many goals at once. Otherwise, your goals will clash as they compete for your time, and you’ll end up being unproductive. ^{[19] X Research Source}
Break these goals down into smaller tasks. A task is a small and specific thing that you can do to achieve your goal. ^{[20] X Research Source} For example, a task might be to practice a 15-minute vibrato, or do 10 beats of a Vivaldi piece for 30 minutes a day until you feel you can move on to episode 10. next beat.

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Complete the goals. Write down a list of daily tasks and cross off each task once completed. Repeat this process until you feel you have achieved that goal, and replace it with another.

For example, each time you finish practicing a piece of music, cross it off your daily task list. Once that track is played, you can add a new track to the playlist.

Improve Way of Thinking

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Accept the development of thinking. Believe that you can work to improve your skill level and competence. Accept mistakes and criticism, and learn from them. Don’t assume that ability is fixed and cannot be changed. As you adopt the growth mindset, you will have better performance and motivation to some extent. ^{[21] X Research Source}

Adjust “failure” into a learning experience. You will inevitably make mistakes and experience setbacks on your journey to finding your full potential. However, think of them as a way to learn and do better in the future, and you won’t be stopped by these “failures” in your progress.
For example, if “becoming a writer” is how you want to reach your full potential, remember that there will be many challenges you must overcome to get there. Don’t blame yourself for these challenges. For example, when your submitted novel is rejected, don’t take it as proof of failure and think you should stop pursuing that goal. Some of the greatest writers of the 20th century were also rejected many times at first. Margaret Mitchell’s novel Gone With the Wind was rejected 38 times. Frank Herbert’s Sand Country was rejected 23 times. The first book in the Harry Potter series by.K. Rowling was rejected 12 times. ^{[22] X Sources of Research} The above authors ultimately succeeded because they had a growth mindset, and continuously improved their work until they found a niche.

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Think realistically. It is important to realize that reaching your full potential is not an overnight thing. Expect realistically. For example, if you want to be the president of the United States, it won’t happen for a few months, or even a few years. You may have to run for a smaller administrative position, become a senator or congressman for a few years, and raise a lot of money for campaigns even before the election. This is not to say that you shouldn’t aim high, but that you should be realistic in your focus and expect only the things that are achievable while striving towards those goals. ^{[23] X Research Sources}

Focusing on smaller goals and tasks as you work towards your overall goal will help you stay motivated and energized. You will be able to complete the smaller tasks as a step towards the ultimate goal.
Think of it this way: If you’ve determined that what you need to do to fulfill your potential is to climb Mount Everest, you certainly can’t simply go there and start climbing today. after. (That can be a quick way to disaster.) You’ll have to work out, shop for equipment, practice and train hard, and find a knowledgeable guide before you even set foot on that mountain.

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Positive thinking. As you work hard towards your goals, think positively about your progress. Positive thoughts will keep you on the right track to finding your true potential. ^{[24] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to Source}^{[25] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to Source}

Observe your way of thinking. As you talk to yourself about your progress toward your goal, notice whether you’re being optimistic or pessimistic.
If you find yourself saying to yourself “this is never going to work,” try thinking more positively and rationally like “others have succeeded, and so will I” or ” There will be a lot of fun when I try this!” ^{[26] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source}
Studies have even shown that positive thinking affects the brain. Positive thinking stimulates regions of the brain associated with imagination, motivation, empathy, and the “big picture.” ^{[27] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to Source}

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Cherish people and draw inspiration from them. Look at people you think have realized their full potential, or someone you want to be who they are. Meditate on how they behave, think, and learn what you like about them. The inspiration they give will help you realize your true potential. ^{[28] X Research Sources}

If possible, talk to your role models to see how they got to where they are now. For example, if your dream is to own a small business, talk to people who have their own businesses. Ask them how they did it, what skills and strengths they used to achieve the goal.
Do not idealize the role model. This is especially likely when your idols are people you’ve never met, such as famous stars or athletes. While their success may inspire you, don’t forget that you often fail to see the mistakes and failures they face. Don’t imagine that they are too perfect, because that will make you judge yourself based on imperfections.

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Take responsibility for your actions. Whether or not you reach your full potential is your responsibility. Instead of making excuses for what happened, think positively about how to overcome obstacles on your way to realizing your potential. ^{[29] X Trusted Source Simply Psychpogy Go to Source}^{[30] X Research Source}

The way you interpret the things that happen in your life is called the point of control. (locus of contrp) An external point of control that places responsibility on others for bad things that have happened. ^{[31] X Research Source} For example, if you depend on external control scores, then when you fail the test you will blame the teacher for making the question too difficult. This way of thinking can prevent you from realizing your full potential because you are always blaming someone else or something else.
The inner point of control is where you acknowledge that events are partly within your control. Although you cannot control the outcome of your actions, you can control your actions. ^{[32] X Sources of Research} For example, when you fail a test, and you admit that you should have studied more instead of hanging out with friends, you are probably using an external checkpoint. in. This way of thinking helps you to move forward because you are making your decisions, whether they are wise or not.

Perseverance Before Adversity

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Be brave. Achieving goals is not an easy task. Stay motivated and keep striving towards your goals in challenging times. Brave people are more likely to succeed because the fire of enthusiasm fuels them, and they don’t give in or give in! ^{[33] X Research Sources}

If you’ve lost your enthusiasm, remind yourself of why you value reaching your full potential, and what made you so eager to accomplish your goals in the past. Ask yourself how realizing your potential will have a positive impact on you and others.

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Be patient and don’t get discouraged. It takes hours of practice to become proficient in a certain area; Realizing your full potential can take longer than that. While recent studies have cast doubt on the “10,000-hour principle,” the truth is that you can’t master something without practice and hard work. ^{[34] X Research Resources} Instead of just thinking about the end goal, focus on your daily or weekly progress. ^{[35] X Research Source}

To avoid discouragement, think of other people, such as Henry Ford or Dr. Seuss, the two characters have faced initial setbacks and difficulties, but they persevered and achieved their goals. ^{[36] X Research Sources}^{[37] X Research Sources}
For patience, remind yourself that realizing your full potential is a long process, and the end goal isn’t the only thing that matters. If you feel yourself getting too impatient and frustrated, try pausing and taking a break. After a break, you can be more productive, instead of constantly working with low productivity and facing the risk of burnout. ^{[38] X Trusted Source Harvard Business Review Go to Source}

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Fight with fear. Avoid worrying too much about failure. The word “failure” implies that you are forever unsuccessful, and it is attributed to yourself. This is not true. Instead, think that you can learn from your mistakes. ^{[39] X Research Sources} Success often comes from a series of experiments. Your twentieth or even hundredth attempt could be your moment of success.

Think of the example of inventor Myshkin Ingawale. He had an idea that he wanted to develop technology to help reduce maternal mortality in rural India. He tried 32 times and also failed 32 times to achieve his goal. But now his technology has cut the death rate for the population he targets in half. ^{[40] X Research Source}
Ask yourself what is the worst that is likely to happen if you try and fail? Most failures don’t have that bad of a result. If so, what is there to fear? In fact, many people often exaggerate their feelings of disappointment after not achieving a goal; Please keep that in mind if you are worried about the test failing. ^{[41] X Research Source}

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Be proud of your achievements. You are striving to be a better person, and you should be proud of that. In the face of tough times, take a moment to be proud of your efforts and the progress you’ve made on your path to your full potential. Thanks to that, you can confidently and persistently overcome all the hardships that you encounter on your journey. ^{[42] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to source}

If it’s hard to feel proud of your accomplishments, write yourself a letter as if you were writing to a friend. Imagine that friend does what you are doing. Are you proud of her? Perhaps you’ll encourage her to keep going and say she’s doing a great job. Then why don’t you treat yourself like that? ^{[43] X Research Source}

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Find social support. Thanks to the heightened feelings of love and happiness that come from the support of family, friends, and everyone in your social network, you’ll be empowered to cope with the pressures that may arise during this time. You do your best to accomplish the goal. ^{[44] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source}^{[45] X Research Source}

Humans can be “contagious” of emotions just as we can catch the flu. Surround yourself with people who are positive and working towards their goals. Their aspirations and positivity will “spread” to you. ^{[46] X Research Source}

Advice

Don’t give up easily, but be flexible in changing your goals as you get to know yourself better.
Improve yourself step by step and set realistic goals.
Don’t get discouraged easily. Be persistent, be patient, and always remember that day-to-day progress will repel discouragement. Don’t forget, the best things in life always take time.

Warning

Never despair if you think you are struggling to realize your potential. Instead, practice breathing exercises and focus on other aspects of your life, such as enjoying the moment to its fullest every now and then.

Steps