I saw an advert this week for a program that will help you ‘find your purpose’ and ‘meet your full potential’ and I had a moment of reminiscing about when I was desperate to do both of those things. I really wanted to figure out what this life thing was all about – why was I here? What was it all for? Surely there must be more to life than THIS!?
There is.
But it’s not found by searching for your purpose as if you’ll die without it.
It’s not found by pushing yourself to endlessly be better, do better, have more.
It’s not found by being so serious about it.
Our potential is endless – we are all capable of so much more than we allow ourselves to be, and we don’t reach that potential partly because of our limitations.
Limitations caused by beliefs “people like me can’t…”; limitations caused by low self-esteem “I couldn’t possibly…”; limitations caused by past failures “I tried, and I can’t…”; limitations caused by the world around you “I don’t know anyone who…”. Reaching your full potential, finding your purpose in the world means meeting every last one of those limitations head on and dealing with them.
Which is why so many people don’t, because that’s hard! It’s hard work to unshackle yourself in every way possible.
So, wait, am I saying that you’ll never reach your full potential? Of course not. My job is helping people do exactly that. I wrote a book on overcoming obstacles (much easier than you think once you stop seeing them as ‘bad’). I am working on reaching MY full potential.
I’ve just stopped being so serious and earnest and humorless about it.
I’ve stopped seeking my full potential as if it’s the most important thing in life.
I’ve stopped looking for ‘the answer’.
I’ve started having some fun with it.
I’ve started to enjoy expansion and following my path, instead of trying to force myself out of my comfort zone and do everything ‘they’ tell me I should in order to enjoy life.
I’ve started seeing those limitations and blockages as signs of growth and fun problems to be solved so I can have even more fun, rather than something that will stop me.
I’ve started trusting me over anyone else…even about things I know naff all about.
I’ve become more discerning about who I allow to influence my thinking.
I notice when the pit of my stomach says ‘oh God I feel terrible about myself reading this person’s advice’ and I trust my gut and stop reading their advice.
And a major theme has emerged in this discernment.
The people whose ‘advice’ (for want of a better word) about life and business I follow are those who advocate 1. Joy and 2. Self-trust. All else is missing the point for me. Of course you want to ‘reach your full potential’. But do you want to lose your sense of humour along the way? Do you want to be miserable while you search for that elusive magic pill that will make your life fabulous? Do you want to follow someone else’s prescription for a fabulous life or your own?
Why not forget about ‘your potential’ and reach for your potential for JOY, for fun, for love, for silliness, for creative expression, for soul connection (with your own soul and with others).
How much joy can you experience?
How much fun can you have?
How much can you create?
How silly can you be?
How close can you get to your soul?
What can you find when you go inside to the inner wisdom we can all access?
What potential lies there?
Back in the days when I was desperately seeking my path, my purpose and bouncing off the walls of the cage of my own making, I wish I’d known that the path to my potential was found by following the breadcrumbs of joy. I wish I’d known that no one else could tell me which way to go (and that those who helped me seek inside were showing me the fastest path to potential). I also wish I’d known that potential is a journey, not a destination.
I’m not reaching my full potential now (I am STILL not Queen of the Universe!), but I’m having fun expanding into who I’m becoming, exploring my inner wisdom, exploring my capacity to create, exploring my capacity to enjoy life. I’ll get there. Or I won’t, I no longer care about ‘reaching my full potential’…unless you tag onto the end of that sentence ‘for joy’. Because that’s what made the biggest difference to my life – not finding my purpose, not growing into my potential, but making joy my compass!
Shake off the shackles of ‘having to’ find your place in the world, explore your potential for joy and have some fucking fun!
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