Achieving Success: Following your Dreams

Living Your Potential

What does it mean to live your potential?  Living your potential implies three things, which are represented by three words.  Each of these words carries a very specific meaning and it is important to understand them separately before considering what it means to live your potential.

POTENTIAL
Potential is the objective here.  Potential is the highest essence of some inner attribute or outward manifestation and in many cases it is both.  Potential is not what leads to a comfortable or easy life often.  Few would argue that Gandhi did not achieve his potential however his life was far from easy.  Our potential is often predicated on a goal and a result that is not to be judged by the same judgment system as that in the world.  However for others that is a necessary quality.

YOUR
Your potential is different than anyone else's.  You're a unique blend of talents and characteristics that are shaped by your genes, natural talents, life experiences and personality.  These forces shape your potential and the road to reach it is found by working your way through the balance sheet of your life.  One diversion from this path is to let someone else tell you what your purpose is or to live your life for goals that have been pursued by your family, your heritage or that have been set out for you by your parents or others.  All of these will ultimately lead to either failure or your ultimate dissatisfaction.  Your path is yours alone and it is only you that holds the map.

LIVING
Many people search for their purpose in life but upon finding it fail to put forth the effort required to actualize it.  Living means doing more than anything else.  When you find your purpose it is important that you practice it.  Living also implies focus and sustained effort.  It is not possible to contemplate anything into existence.  Everything requires work and effort.  A price must be paid for everything and this includes the cultivation of your natural gifts.

The objective is to explore each of the three facets above and help you to move your life to a place in which you are living that potential.  Whatever that may be for you.  If you do not know what it is then this will help you find it with techniques both ancient and modern.

Following your Dreams

One of the most difficult things to do in life is to attain the focus required to achieve the success in some particular sphere of life -- to rise above the crowd.  Talent can most certainly make things easier and help from outside influences can also lighten the load but even with the above we can still achieve nothing if we have not marshaled the required intensity to achieve the objective.   A scattered focus produces a result much the same.  Therefore a concentration of will, desire and activity must be generated before a worthwhile result can be brought into being.

How much of this "blood" is required is different for everyone.  We all have different qualities and attributes that give us natural talents in specific areas of life.  Some of us are artistically inclined and abhor managing things and others shine when given the chance to direct and organize people, things and ideas.  Naturally, an individual of one predisposition will have a much harder time accomplishing goals directed toward the later.  Therefore a key part of success is determining your natural abilities and the type of activities you have been "pre-programmed" for rather than beginning the long and arduous and likely frustrating process of re-programming that which is already there.

Kevin Costner gave a good quote on success during a television interview.   He was asked about what the most important thing in the world was to him and his reply was this: "I believe the most important thing in the world for anyone is our dreams.  If the ocean is our life and our ship is starting to sink and there is one last piece of wood holding us afloat then it is that which we call our dreams."  Our dreams our truly what keeps us alive when the moments seem the darkest and at the same time the lack of one is often the crushing blow for those that choose to give up on life.  We must have a dream, a passion and a reason.  We must have something that connects us to this journey we call life with every fiber of our being and every breath we take.  Without it we become lost ships at sea wandering from port to port getting just enough provisions each time to wander into the next one cold, hungry and weary.  

Our dream is our map and with it we began to establish an objective and with an objective we can plan for the journey knowing how long it will be and where we are going.  Though we will still have setbacks and failures along the way, we can rest assured that we will make it through them by keeping our eyes on our eventual goal.  
           
So we must ask ourselves before anything else in this life just one simple question.  What is your dream?  The Native Americans have a tradition of each young man or woman undertaking a vision quest upon their entry to adulthood and it is this vision quest in which the meaning and purpose of life is revealed.  Though it may be veiled in mysticism is it not a better approach than today where more often than not we decide dreams for our children and our spouses and our loved ones rather then letting them find what is in their heart and pursuing it with all their might? 

Information is for educational and informational purposes only and is not be interpreted as financial or legal advice. This does not represent a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. Please consult your financial advisor.