Most people waste their potential – don’t be one of them

Our potential can open doors for us we haven’t even knocked on yet. We just have to try a little. Photo: Pexels

A few days ago, I heard Jordan Peterson talk about one’s potential and how most people waste most of it nowadays. And it left me thinking. Potential is something humongous, but invisible.

Which is why most people aren’t really affected by it. However, your potential should do two things to you: It should inspire you. And it should make you uncomfortable!

Let me define potential

Most people don’t even get what potential is. Your potential is the best version of you that exists somewhere in the universe, in an alternative reality. Whatever you imagined you could be, your potential could turn you into it.

This has a lot to do with manifestation as well. Most people live a mediocre life. And I don’t mean that in a negative way. They have a normal job, they earn a decent amount of money, they are more or less healthy, they dress fine, they get through their everyday. But they’re not necessarily thriving.

Don’t miss out on what could be

There are places out there that you would be dying to see. There are friendships that could make your life so much better, but you’re not leaving the house unless you have to. And there are skills you could acquire that could change your life. A different job or a few side hustles or investments could make you so much money you could live a comfortable life until you die.

There are passions of yours that would lit your soul on fire, but you’re not really willing to explore. You could create art, literature, music, you could build something with your hands.

You could do the most extraordinary things with your life, but for some reason you don’t really want to. The life you have right now is comfortable for you, so you don’t see the need to go out of your way, to suffer, just to change something.

Change is hard, but it will get you far

You think that until you do make a change in your life and you realize how much higher your life quality is. And don’t get me wrong, I’m not pointing my finger at you. I too have a book to write, I have a roadtrip to go on, I have a fit lifestyle to adapt. Do I meditate sometimes? Of course. But do I wish I did it every day? Absolutely.

Sometimes I think about the fact that a year ago, I started latin dancing, and it has turned into such a passion of mine. And oh boy, am I glad that I stepped into that dance class!

And then six month ago I moved to Spain for half a year. The friends I met, the places I saw, the experiences I made were totally worth leaving. And now I’m back in Switzerland, already calculating when I can go back.

Your habits make the deal

Neglecting the potential you have, and the person you could turn into happens to everyone. Sometimes, we just need a wake-up-call in order to get our a**es off the couch.

It happens to me quite a lot that when I move through my city I see people that look a certain way and the habits they adopted and I think to myself: I hope you don’t spend your life doing exactly that, it would be such a waste.

And that could be smoking, eating, fighting, not taking care of yourself, letting yourself consume by your negative thoughts…

Sometimes, the very thing that’s destroying your life’s happiness is visible from the outside: A toxic relationship, an unhealthy lifestyle, bad spending habits, laziness, etc. But sometimes it’s the demons in your head. The fact that you’re your own worst enemy.

Maybe you’re lost in life. Or you lost all of your faith and blame the world for your misery. Whatever it might be: There is a way out of it. Does it require you to give your old lifestyle and adopt a new, uncomfortable one? Oh yes. But it will all be worth it.

Be afraid of this moment…

If you ever forget about your potential, about the person you could be, imagine this… You die and you go home to the spirit world, or to heaven if you will. And your Spirit Guides, or God or whoever you admire, stands before you and shows you who you could have been.

What you could have achieved, what you could have looked like, the family you could have had, the relationships and friendships, what you could have created, the places you could have visited, an art form that could have been your passion.

And they stand there and ask “What happened?”. You stand there and see what you actually did in life: Working, doubting, being lazy, being negative, not being appreciative of what you have. And all you can answer is “I don’t know. I messed up”. This is what’s haunting me at night.

It’s your responsibility…

I’m going to list a few things you could do to find your people, your skills, your passions, your habits, ok? And I beg of you; don’t waste your life away scrolling on your phone. Not only you need your best version. The world needs it too. In fact, it’s your responsibility to deliver as much as you can.

Or how Jordan Peterson said: “It’s unbelievable how little genuine encouragement many people need and how they had none. No one ever said to them and meant it; ‘It’s not okay for you to be a weak loser. And the reason it’s not okay is because you could be way more than that. And it’s an ethical crime for you to allow all that necessary potential to go to waste. It hurts you, it hurts your family, it hurts the world. Really it does.'”

So here’s my list:

• Meditate
• Read a book
• Take a walk
• Go to the opera
• Hydrate
• Learn a language
• Go to a museum
• Visit a new city
• Journal
• Climb a mountain
• Get a degree
• Make a new friend
• Go have a coffee alone
• Write a book
• Go to the gym
• Cook a new recipe
• Take a dance lesson
• Tell your parents you love them
• Paint a painting
• Clean your room
• Learn to play an instrument
• Buy a dress that looks good on you
• Build a side hustle
• Wake up earlier
• Tell a friend you appreciate their company
• Call someone you miss
• Check in with the hurt child inside you
• Tell your partner that you love them
• Learn to say no
• Practice discipline
• Take a cold shower
• Ground
• Watch a useful YouTube video
• Read a blog
• Take a shower
• Go get a massage
• Network
• Have a healthy breakfast
• Invite someone on a drink
• Help a stranger out
• Give someone a compliment
• Open your heart
• Stand up for yourself
• Go for a run
• Do something you’ve never done before (like Yoga)
• Stretch your body
• Take a swim in the ocean or a lake
• Pray
• Have a deep, vulnerable conversation
• Identify your red flags
• Be honest
• Heal your emotional wounds
• Go for a run
• Get your hair cut
• Invest in something
• Start a business
• Go to therapy
• Take the trash out
• Get a pet
• Ride a bike
• Knit something
• Write a letter or a post card to someone

Here’s a few things to quit:

• Laziness
• Doubts
• People pleasing
• Overthinking
• Smoking
• Overeating
• Scrolling on your phone
• Neglect
• Disorganization
• Disorder
• Malevolence
• Unhealthy eating & snacking

Your spiritual potential

By the way, your potential lies in your personal spirituality as well. You could become a deeply connected higher being. From now on, choose to see every experience, good or bad, as something that brings you further in life.

Strengthen your intuition, it’s your own personal superpower. Let yourself be guided by a higher power. Develop such a deep trust in the universe, in God, in your spirit guides, that nothing can pull you down anymore. Being spiritually secured is, in my opinion, one of the best things you can do in your life (which is why I have this blog, by the way).

It’s like trying to swim against the current, vs. letting yourself be carried away by the water. And you can trust that it’ll bring to where you’re meant to go!

Thank you for reading, it was a pleasure <3

P.S. It’s funny how life works. A few moments ago I was doubting myself, not knowing what I should write about this week. I just sat down and wrote what came to mind. And I’m pleased with what I have created. I remind you again; If you just try, you would be surprised of what you’re capable of!

Written by Valentina – spiritual writer & founder of Valentina’s Diary