This Is Hopeless Unless You Realize Your Potential

Life is hard, isn't it? It just seems like there is always something to challenge you, a setback, a disappointment, a frustration. Maybe you are having a mid-life crisis, or feeling burnout at work. It is so easy to get discouraged. It is so tempting to give up, to settle into a state of hopelessness, helplessness, or frustration.

Many people do give up. They live lives, as Thoreau said, of "quiet desperation." They spend their days at a boring job that doesn't pay enough, come home, have a beer or a glass wine, watch television until it is time for bed, and then get up the next day and do it all again. This is hopeless.

But if you were willing to settle for that, I doubt you would be reading this article. You are feeling called to something more. You are sensing there is more to you yet to be born. You are open to making some new choices, some new decisions, taking a few risks.

Why is that? Why would you want to risk? What is it that is calling to you? Maybe it is a dream, or a vision, or a desire that has been born in your heart to be more than who you are today.

The truth is there is only one you. In this world of seven billion people there is no one else quite like you, no one else with your particular gifts, no one else with your particular way of seeing and experiencing the world. Did you ever think about that?

If you should die without realizing your full potential there will never be another chance for the world to receive the gifts that you came here to give. No one else that can take your place. This is a huge responsibility for you to bear on your tiny shoulders, but there it is. There is only one you.

So what can you do to realize your full potential? Here are three suggestions:

1. Listen to the still small voice inside. Many people are too busy in "doing-ness"... to do lists, goals, appointments, volunteer activities, things that keep you going non-stop. It is easy to forget to take time to listen to the inner voice, that inner guidance, those little suggestions that pop into your mind from who-knows-where. But in listening, you may hear the voice of your destiny calling to you.

2. Pay attention to your heart-felt desires, to what you feel passion for. I believe your heart-felt desires are meant to guide you. They are there for a reason. They are a little bit like the yellow brick road was for Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. The yellow brick road took her for a real adventure: excitement, jeopardy, peril, and ultimately success! And along the way, she become wiser, more heart-centered, and courageous!

3. Take a risk. When you feel hopeless, or feel like a failure in life, it is because you are telling yourself that the past equals the future. But that is only true when you make the same choice tomorrow that you made today. Take a risk, make a new choice, and watch what happens! Your potential is right there, waiting for you to claim it.

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What's Stopping You? Getting Rid of the Barriers

Often people tell me of unfulfilled dreams that they wish could have been realized. My first response is that it is never too late to chase a goal. My second response is to try to find out what has been and continues to stop them!

What would you tell me about you? Are you:
1. Insecure - People who are afraid rarely start anything because they figure that they will fail. In fact, they are defeated before they even get to the starting blocks. Old messages from childhood can interfere with their confidence and immobilize their actions. If you are feeling insecure, find a mentor who has found success in the field where you wish to achieve. Take time to gain knowledge. Soon you will be ready to take a step forward.

2. Overwhelmed - Sometimes life seems too difficult and instead of taking action, people freeze. A project can seem to be so big that there is no end in sight. Start by breaking the task down into small, manageable pieces. Do you want to downsize? Try removing one item from the house every day. In thirty days you have removed thirty items. After a year there will be three hundred and sixty-five less things in your surroundings.

3. Lazy - Those who focus on luxuriating, live with negative consequences in the long-run. When you neglect your career, family, friends and home, you will lose your support and security over time. Begin by making a list of all the things that you value and beside each write at least one thing that you need to do this week to protect them.

4. Hurting - Every person on earth has had at least one deep hurt in life. Some people give up and become victims who are not willing to do anything positive to heal to move forward. Others use their pain to help other people. I have heard some people say that time heals. I really don't believe that. Some people hold onto their trauma for decades and never let go! Get professional help when you are stuck!

5. Procrastinating - Do you have great ideas that you never germinate? Are you the person who has advise for other people that you never follow yourself? You likely know the answers to the situation that you are facing but tend to put off enacting them. No one will do the work for you, so it is time to get started. All talk and no action mean you are dead in the water when it comes to progress.

6. Committed - Do you have a goal and a plan to help you achieve it? Are you willing to try even if you don't succeed at first? Would you be willing to study in order to learn strategies that will bring good results? Who do you know who would be willing to encourage and teach you?

Here's the good news. No matter where you fall on the list, you can change and soon you will be able to replace your regret with success!

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