TIW 025: How To Unlock Your Potential
I know there is more to you that we haven't seen yet. And I know you know there is more to you than you've shown us so far.
You've got potential!
"If you don't know what your potential is, you don't know your gift. If you don't know what your gift is, you don't know your purpose and if you don't know what your purpose is, you don't know your real value."
In this week's episode of The Influential Woman Podcast I talk about:
what potential is
how to tap into your potential
why potential is not some 'airy fairy' concept but relevant to solve a world problem
how to release your potential
What Is Potential
The first thing you have to know is that you were born with potential.
It's not something you have to acquire, potential is something you release.
Dr Myles Munroe says it best...
"Potential is:
untapped power
dormant ability
hidden strength
unused success
concealed power
who you are but nobody knows it yet
what you can do but you haven't done it yet
how far you can go but you haven't gone there yet
Potential is never what you've done but always what you could do but you haven't done it yet."
3 Ways Can You Tap Into Your Own Potential?
1. Own Your Voice
In my book, Unleash The Hidden Power of Your Voice," I talk about how important it is to show up as the real you. And whilst we often talk about finding your voice, I focus more on you giving yourself permission to own your voice. In other words express you as you.
Your voice is your gift (including gifting) from God to you.
Your voice encompasses your gifts, your talents, your power, purpose, passion and assignment. When it's locked up, it will lead to a life of mediocrity, inferiority and frustration. Wake it up and you'll maximise your potential and pursue life with passion and purpose.
And this doesn't mean just speaking up for what you believe in, it means expressing yourself in:
your work
art
music
poetry
cooking
drama
commentary
a cause
your business
Or whatever that thing is that enables you to be yourself. I also talk about how powerful it is to be a voice for others. That to me is when the power of who you are shines through.
2. You start dreaming again
I know that when you were a child you had dreams. But back then you had no filter and no one telling you you can't.
When asked what they want to become when they're older, most children will just tell you... "I want to fly an aeroplane, or "I want to drive racing cars," or "become a ballet dancer."
They imagine themselves doing that thing and they have no questions about how they're going to do it, they just believe that's what they're going to do. Such a precious stage in a child's development.
Sadly it's adults and world systems that "educate the dreams" out of them. Though unintentionally, adults become dream killers and for some people the desire to resurrect those suppressed dreams is sometimes painful.
I remember my Pastor saying something years ago that I've had to say myself over the years... He said, if you've lost your desire for the thing you always wanted to do, ask God to give you the desire to desire.
That right there!
God knew what He was doing when you packaged you up with your gift, your potential and a purpose ready to enter this earth.
He knows it's going to make you happy as well as help others. He desires even more than you do for you to be fulfilled and He knows you'll never achieve true fulfilment until you're doing what you were born to do.
3. Find Your Gift
to unlock your success code, you must find your gift, release your potential and discover your purpose.
It's not special people who have a gift. We're all gifted in something, but it's finding that thing, and when we find that thing, having the courage to develop it.
There are geniuses in this world and they seem to leave the womb equipped and ready to just do their thing. Then there's the rest of us!
Often we dismiss our gift because we don't recognise it's potential. We don't realise it's something that is developed as we use it, therefore we place no value on it.
What Problem Can You Solve?
Your potential, your gift and your purpose are all for the purpose of solving a problem. So if you are having trouble deciding what your potential is, ask yourself, "what problem can I solve?"
You've already been solving these problems without realising it!
Ask yourself what advice people often approach you to give?What things do you do naturally that others find hard or a chore? What are you doing when you lose track of time?
Steve Jobs was so passionate about computers and tech that he'd forget to eat, sleep or wash.
I'm not advocating you do any of these things, but I once heard someone say that sleep was a hindrance to their passion. They loved what they did so much that sleeping got in the way. Again, not telling you not to sleep. You need your rest!
How To Release and The Maximize Your Potential
Your potential is released when you put a demand on your gift. We often look for giftings and genius in people, not realising that we ourselves have a gift which we must develop.
And the way to develop your gift is to use it and use it and use it and use it.
Notice when kids learn to speak, they don't say the new thing one time, they keep repeating it until it becomes part of their developing vocabulary.
As adults, we need to be like the child again and keep doing that thing that we love - the thing that develops our gift - and repeat it over and over again until it's natural.
It's this repetitive "doing" that moves us from novice to mastery. I your eyes, your gift may not make you a genius, but there are plenty of people out there who appreciate your gift. Some wishing they could do what you do, others willing to pay you to do what you do.
What Next?
Get yourself a dream journal and start dreaming on paper.
Go back to your childhood and remember the things that used to bring you joy. What are the things you did that seemed so natural to you but left others in awe.
Take notice of the things you take notice of.
No matter how supressed, it's always interesting how certain sights, smells, feelings, sounds and tastes remind you of something you enjoyed as a child. Write it down and try to make the association.
I don't want you to force this because your desires are not punishments. They are there to help you live a fulfilled life and inspire others to live theirs too.
If the memories of your dreams are too painful to resurrect, ask God to give you the desire to desire again.
The world is waiting for your gift and your potential is dying to be tapped... literally.
What's Up!
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Got Questions?
I'd love to answer any questions you have about business, ministry, leadership, life as it pertains to being an Influential Woman. Just click the red tab to the right, or scroll to the bottom of this page, and ask your question. I'd love to feature your question in one of our podcast episodes.
