"I have learned, that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours." --Henry David Thoreau
You may not be happy with where you are in life right now, maybe you're wondering if you are on the right track. Unless you are boldly moving in the direction of your latent potential you will never fully realize your goals and aspirations. So how do you go about unlocking your full potential and ultimately finding more pleasure with your life.
1. Be consistent. There is nothing more magical in life then watching someone who is consistent with what they do. If you watch anyone who has achieved greatness in their life they were consistent with pursuing their dreams with complete dedication. It is well known that Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan, who themselves are icons of their sports were some of the most consistently dedicated athletes with respect to their sports. They were often quoted as being the first one's at training and the last to leave. They consistently honed and improved their craft with a consistent plan and after years of hard work they were able to share their talents with the world. Without consistency, all the natural talent in the world will not have the opportunity to reveal itself without a plan to tap into it.
2. Focus on priorities. Instead of allowing the day to day dramas dictate your life, learn to instead take back control of your day. Start each day with a short list of priorities that you want to complete. You want to know where your focus should be for the day and what tasks will actually help you to get you closer to your goals. Instead of dealing with unexpected interruptions and events you can now instead focus on priorities that really matter. A great analogy that I was heard was about a bowl, if you fill it first with small rocks, then sand and then try to fit the big rocks in you aren't going to find any room. The trick is putting the big rocks into the bowl first, so that you can then put the small rocks into the gaps and then fill it in with sand. If you focus on your big rocks which are your priorities then you can then adjust your day to deal with the smaller rocks which are your small issues.
3. Visualize your day before it begins. If you are like most people you probably struggle your way out of bed and go straight into your morning routine so that you can rush of to work. The key to making your day great is instead dedicate a few moments to visualize your day right at the moment you wake up. It needn't take long and it can be as little as 10-15 minutes. Visualize how you want your day to go, visualize yourself dealing with your priorities effortlessly and how resources throughout your day help to assist you with furthering your goals. If you start your day consistently visualizing your day going perfectly and effortlessly then you will start to see little changes in your day. If you aren't convinced the best way is to try it yourself, after all its only a few minutes a day.
4. Invest in continual growth. Change and growth needn't be something we fear, after all it's only through growth and change that we really start to realize our potential. Set up goals that you want to implement that will either make your life better or will help you to grow as a person. It might be to eliminate a bad habit by replacing it with something more productive, it might be to start your fitness routine or to learn a new language. Whatever it is write out your goal and for 30 days straight commit to doing one thing that will advance that goal daily. It might be as little as spending 15 minutes reading a book or doing a new habit. Whatever it is make sure that you spend at least 15 minutes each day on a task that is related to your goal. After 30 days you will have found yourself with a new habit that is positive for you.
5. Find yourself an advisor. Every great athlete has a coach, even those at the top of their sport who seemingly have the natural ability to win without any coaching still have a coach. If you want to unlock your full potential you need to realize that having an advisor can help you to keep focus and guide you to realizing who you can really become. Advisors can be a great sounding board and can assist you in hopefully going down the wrong tracks saving you lost time and energy. You can also learn from their mistakes and grow quicker from their wisdom. The key is to find advisors who you believe can take you to where you want to go. If you can't find someone within your circle then often paying for an advisor like a business coach or life coach can still be a worthwhile option.
