Maximizing Your Potential

Introduction One of the greatest tragedies in life is to watch potential die untapped. A greater tragedy is to watch potential live unreleased. How sad to know that the majority of the people on this planet will never discover who they really are, while others will settle for only a portion of their true self. Only a select few will make the quality decision to maximize every fiber of their lives by fully using their gifts, talents, abilities, and capabilities. This we call maximum living . Each one of us has the opportunity to pursue maximum living. The question is, Will we choose to exercise that option? Living to the maximum challenges us all because much of our environment is not conducive to this pursuit. In every society there are traditions, norms, social expectations, customs, and value systems that impact, shape, mold, suppress, control, and in some cases, oppress the natural gifts, talents, capabilities, and potential of its members. This process starts even from the beginning of life. Even a newborn infant receives subtle messages of community expectations from parents, siblings, and other family members that in many cases stifle and limit the child’s awesome potential. Potential screams for release in the soul of every human being who enters this planet. Every individual is a living treasure chest. Each person arrives like a brand-new product from a manufacturer, equipped to perform and fulfill all the demands placed on him by the Creator. This is the reason why the natural instinct to dream is so pervasive in children. Dreams are visual manifestations of the seeds of destiny planted in the spirit and soul of each human by his Creator. This preoccupation with ideas and imagination in youth is evidence that we are created with the capacity and ability to conceive visions and aspirations that extend beyond our present reality. Perhaps it is this inherent ability to explore the impossible for the possibilities that Jesus Christ, the most maximized man who ever lived, referred to when He stated, “...unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3). This simple yet profound command embodies a principle that captures the spirit of maximizing one’s self. It implies that the average adult, through the process of growth and development, has lost the free-spirited, open-minded, inquisitive, explorative, daring, believing, and uninhibited nature of a child. It indicates that the ability to dream and explore possibilities diminishes in the course of growth to adulthood. It also communicates the heart and desire of God our Creator that the ability to dream big and dare to attempt the seemingly