Chinese Christian Herald Crusades UK

青年園地︰5 Signs You’re Not Living Up To Your Potential

Andy Lee

 

 

I watched a YouTube clip a while back of an elderly man in the kitchen chopping up vegetables while preparing dinner. His daughter’s jaw dropped to the floor when she noticed he was using the iPad she bought him for Christmas as the chopping board. After chopping up the onions, he washed it under the tap and stuck it in the dishwasher.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What a sad (but funny) misuse of such a uniquely engineered and designed piece of technology. This was so way off the mark from what Apple had intended for its purpose.
How much more uniquely engineered and designed are you? And yet how fully utilised are you? There is simply no comprehensible value that could be placed on your life and all that makes you, you. You’re priceless. Unlike an iPad that requires an external user to get the most out of it, you’re the one that controls the decisions that affect your life. So what are you doing to ensure that you’re maximising your purpose, that you’re making the most of the life you’ve been given?

 

 

Here are five signs that you’re not quite positioning yourself to be the best you could be:

 

 

1. You Don’t Know Your Natural Strengths – What would you say if someone asked you, “What are you naturally good at?” There are areas that God has given you a head start in. Things that you have a natural affinity towards. There are some great tools available for you to find out more about your natural strengths. One I recommend is StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Tom Rath, the book comes with a great online assessment tool to identify your top five strengths and gives you the strategies you can use to build upon them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. You’re Too Comfortable – The feeling of comfort is deceiving. It’s nice to be comfortable. You don’t like being uncomfortable, it doesn’t feel right. When you’re operating at a reasonable level of comfort however, it could be a sign of complacency. That you’ve stopped growing and started settling. What’s the price you’re paying for staying comfortable? Is there another level you can reach if you choose to push through your current state? When you’re struggling, you’re growing. You’re pushing through. You’re overcoming and learning new things. When you’re comfortable, none of that forward motion is probably happening – you’re the same person you were a week ago, months ago and maybe even years ago. Have you ever met someone you haven’t seen in a very long time and then noticed that they’re practically the same as the last time you saw them? The way they think, their habits, their maturity level? Here’s a thought – are you that person?

 

 

3. You Find Things Boring – A bored person is a boring person. Bored people aren’t using the imagination and creativity that exists within them to make life an exciting adventure. They sit around, in a passive posture, expecting others to somehow stimulate their own lethargic state into life. There is no shortage of options out there for you to explore and find something that piques your interest. If you’re bored, it’s definitely not because there is nothing for you to do. It’s just how you feel at the time. It’s likely that your habitual thinking has temporarily trapped you into an inflexible state. Find someone you respect and who inspires you, and ask them to help you out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. You Don’t Have a Cheerleader – I’m so thankful to have people in my life who cheer me on, who recognise the gifts in me and who encourage me to pursue what God has placed on my heart. I’m blessed to have them because they love me enough to not let me settle for anything less than the best me I can be. In addition to that, I regularly seek the wisdom and experience of leaders whom I respect through their books and the material they produce online. Who are the cheerleaders in your life, the ones who help you get up when you fall, the ones who see the best in you and who love you enough to be honest with you because they want the best for you? If this is an area you need to cultivate, you can start by looking online for leaders and role models whose words you appreciate. And if you’re a Christian then you have the best cheerleader of all in your life – God will champion you in ways no one else can.

 

 

5. You Don’t Ask For Feedback – As tough as it may be for you to hear criticism about any aspect of yourself, from your attitude to your words and behaviours, it’s a great way to accelerate and hone your development. The benefits far outweigh whatever unwanted feelings you may experience as a result. If you find this difficult and notice that you struggle with receiving feedback well, I would highly recommend seeking out a qualified person such as a counsellor or a personal coach who can help you in this area. As a coach myself, I’ve often found that there’s a certain amount of self-discovery required to help overcome the underlying fears and insecurities that affect your ability to accept feedback with open arms instead of a big defensive shield.

 

 

Reaching your potential requires the assistance of others. It just isn’t possible to do it alone – this is because we were created for relationship. Surround yourself with people you trust and respect and who trust and respect you back. Seek out those who see you for who you could be. I coach people because it is my passion to see people become more of who they’re meant to be and as a result live the most fulfilling life possible.