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Living to Your Full Potential

Written by Do I Editorial

“Our lives are mere flashes of light in an infinitely empty universe. In 12 years of education the most important lesson I have learned is that what we see as “normal” living is truly a travesty of our potential. In a society so governed by superficiality, appearances, and petty economics, dreams are more real than anything in the “real world”. Refuse normalcy. Beauty is everywhere, love is endless, and joy bleeds from our everyday existence. Embrace it. I love all of you, all my friends, family, and community. I am ceaselessly grateful from the bottom of my heart for everyone. The only thing I can ask of you is to stay free of materialism. Remember that every day contains a universe of potential; exhaust it. Live and love so immensely that when death comes there is nothing left for him to take. Wealth is love, music, sports, learning, family and freedom. Above all, stay gold.” ? Dominic Owen Mallary

Have you ever felt like “It just isn’t the way I wanted it” or “I could have done much better”?  It is likely that the reason for this feeling of inadequacy could be due to some deficiencies in the way you lead your life, in the way you look at situations. A lot of times, we do not try as much as we should, we leave jobs incomplete and we do not strive for our goals with the passion and the single-mindedness needed to achieve them.

Life goes on; however, when you wake up in the morning, look at yourself in the mirror and think about the correlation between your aspirations and your achievements, you may end up feeling despondent and pessimistic.  Sometimes, limiting standards set by extraneous factors like customs and practices, cultural beliefs, aspirations of your family members towards you and examples set by relatives and acquaintances can add to the negative feelings that you may develop. Well, it is absolutely not necessary that you should fit into the aspirations stipulated by others; on the other hand, it is mandatory that you achieve what you are capable of to live life to its full potential.

Here are a few measures you should take in order to do just that:

Evaluate Yourself
Sit down and think of what is feasible for you to perform and what isn’t. Ideally, WRITE down your strengths and weaknesses. Always be practical. It is never harmful to be inspired by someone or something but never grieve because you couldn’t do what someone wanted you to. That way you waste more time and energy in actually doing nothing. Analyse yourself and carefully chalk out the extent of your abilities. Be conscious of what is true. Only this can bring out what is best in you because once you are well acquainted with your abilities, you can truly work on them, get better and have a much better approach towards your life.

However, do know that every human being has the capacity to overcome deficiencies if he or she works on them diligently. So aim to do just that.

Set Achievable Goals, Know Your Passions, Execute Them Well
Once you have done a proper self-evaluation, consider your aims and ambitions. Never leave out your little passions, the extracurricular activities, as they say, that excite you. See if you are capable of optimising them. Make plans, tweak your daily routines and utilise every second to work on them.

Passions like learning to play an instrument or performing on stage, acting, dancing, cooking, being a part of a sports team, cart racing, body building or even leaving a bad habit are also important elements of your life. Passions complete a human being, they keep you going. They don’t just make you happy but also energise you. They help you utilise your potential to a greater extent.

Commit to your goals and passions. A famous proverb says, “Failures are the pillars of success”; failures should always be taken with a positive outlook – learn from them and do better next time. If you know that there isn’t a next time, work hard enough not to fail. Try as many times as you need in order to succeed because success of any kind is the biggest source of satisfaction.

Work to Refine Yourself
Refinement doesn’t just give you an edge over others; it gives you an edge over your own self. You should have a proper perception of good and bad. Investigate your own character traits and find which ones have affected you, and try and do away with the ones that have a negative effect on your growth.  As the famous American playwright, August Wilson had once said, “Confront the dark parts of yourself, and work to banish them with illumination and forgiveness. Your willingness to wrestle with your demons will cause your angels to sing.”

When you are refined in your ways, you lead a better life.

Be steady and consistent
Do not ever give up. Be steady and patient. Remember you make lesser mistakes when you act rationally. Take small steps but keep going, never leave any job incomplete. Be it an ambition, a job, a hobby, a responsibility or a passion, steadiness helps a lot. Be continuous, it will enhance your efficiency beyond comparison. “It will take time but I will do it” should be the kind of attitude you carry with yourself.

Be Confident
Fumbling can set you off your track, no matter how properly you proceed in any field of your life. Be confident and success shall be compelled to follow you as long as your pathway of execution is not at fault. Practicing and gaining experiences are excellent tools that help you to increase you confidence levels. It takes time to develop your confidence, only persistence does the magic.

Never be shy
Shyness has caused the death of a million dreams. Never step back from asking for what you deserve to have. Ask for help whenever you feel necessary. If you need support, reach out; a positive third person always examines your situation better when than you yourself. If you need support of any sort, figure out who best person is to help you get through. Never feel shy and step back because once that the show is over, you are the one who is left to feel empty inside. Grab opportunities as soon as they present themselves to you.

Be Cheerful
Always keep a smile on your face and in your mind. Cheerfulness has no disadvantages. Be kind and helpful. These little things mean a lot in life. It inculcates a sense of contentment and satisfaction. It also helps you to develop a better reputation. It takes a man very far in life. When the people around you like you, they act as the rungs of the ladder to your success.

Stay close to your near and dear ones
Family and friends define your character. They always stand by you through thick and thin. They love no matter what; there is no well wisher as good as your own family. They are like the foundation pillars of you life’s structure. Never cancel them out of your life. They are the ones who take you forward in life.

Do your best within your abilities. Be at it; never give up – slow and steady works. Remain cheerful even when you are faced with the worst adversary. Love and help people. Ask for help if you are stuck.  Have a support system, starting with your family.  Even after all this, you may still not be able to reach the pinnacle of your potential; however, you will find that you are much closer to it than letting things meander.

Visual Courtesy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/59632563@N04/