Understanding Your Potential and Living Fully

It is my belief that no one truly lives up to their full potential. And, without understanding our purpose, we cannot be truly fulfilled. As a career counselor, my advice is to delve into self-knowledge. Knowing yourself—your abilities, interests, personality style, and core values—can provide you with a clearer sense of direction and purpose. Instead of just existing for the sake of existing, knowing who you are can help you find a path that aligns with your true self.

Discovering Your True Potential

There are several online tools you can use to gain deeper insight into yourself:

The Strong Interest Inventory: This inventory helps you understand your interests and how they might align with your career and personal life. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI): MBTI helps you understand your personality type and adapt your approach accordingly. The Minnesota Importance Questionnaire: This questionnaire helps you identify what you consider to be the most important aspects of your life.

After taking these tests, it is important to read the explanations provided. This can be a rewarding journey where you discover new facets of yourself and embrace your unique qualities.

Guided by Love or Fear?

Often, the pursuit of realizing your potential comes from a place of either love or fear. Ask yourself whether your motivation arises from a deep-seated desire to express yourself naturally or from a sense of inadequacy.

Is your desire to discover your full potential driven by a sense of love or fear? Could you conclude that it comes from a love of your natural expression and the ease of being yourself, or could it be fueled by fear—a fear of missing out or not being good enough?

Most people find that their motivation stems from fear. Discomfort—whether it arises from feeling inadequate, physically unfit, or experiencing a lack of excitement in life—drives us to look for solutions. But the solution we seek is often an escape, an attempt to cope with the discomfort rather than embrace it.

The Escapism of Self-Improvement

The process of improvement is often a form of escapism. After noticing an uncomfortable feeling, we quickly jump to conclusions about its cause, and then we create a detailed plan to address that cause. However, most of us find such plans monotonous and unenjoyable. Despite this, we proceed with a sense of urgency, believing that our happiness depends on achieving these goals. This journey is fraught with challenges, and as time passes, we begin to doubt our progress and wonder if we’ve merely postponed the inevitable discomfort.

Step 1: Noticing an uncomfortable feeling. Step 2: Concluding what is causing it. Step 3: Creating a plan to deal with the cause. Step 4: Losing enthusiasm and feeling further from happiness.

While the process of setting and achieving goals can lead to significant personal growth and learning, it is important to recognize the underlying motive. The pursuit of money, success, fame, love, comfort, luxury, and confidence is often a way to avoid, fix, or cope with the discomfort that stems from a lack of self-acceptance. The real goal, which is ultimately to abandon oneself, is the hidden agenda beneath our plans.

Avoiding this pattern is crucial. Instead of fearing our discomfort, we should seek to understand it. Cultivating self-compassion and self-acceptance can lead to a more fulfilling and authentic life. Remember, it is your life and you should do as you see fit. Just be mindful of the path you are setting and the potential sacrifices you may be making.