POTENTIAL

                                         

                                They said, "We know you will definitely be successful". More like , "We see something in you, but don't know what it is!" The famous lines of that famous TEDx talk. I read too much between the lines and thought success was written in my fate. Life has its own ways of humbling you. Failure hits so hard that it feels like a dead end. In that abyss of failures, you are bound to become as objective as possible. Essentially, potential in itself is not enough for a person to succeed.

"Potential energy" is energy stored in an object due to its position/size in relation to other objects. You may have a potential due to your circumstances, positions etc etc. You may be put up in the best of the environments conducive for your growth. Yet, it means nothing is there is no intention to grow. One can have a shit load of abilities and yet not succeed due to inaction. As Dumbledore says, it is not our abilities that define us, but the choices that we make.

One of the Organizations I worked for had one of the values "Bias for action". It is only when we use all of our conscious choices to work for what we really want, that the life seems to move ahead. Mere thinking about a thing will not result in anything. In fact, the more you just keep thinking about a thing, the more you are likely to stagnate there. You know what, JUST DO THE DAMN THING! As simple as that. We all have hundreds of reasons to not do. We all are objective enough to define progress in our lives. For some, make money(big big money!!). For some, lead a balanced life. For some, realize God. For some, become famous. Whatever! The question is, "How important do I feel about the progress itself?" 

How is my identity tied to the entire scheme of progress? How much do I value myself over all the circumstances of life? Isn't tying my identity to progress alone limiting myself? "To define is to limit" I thought. I realized, "To define is to be more focused". Focused about what you really want from life. There are 100s of things that I COULD do. But, what am I WILLING to go all in for! Only then Life becomes purposeful and more intentional. When I heard that life should feel worthwhile when we look back at the later stages of our lives, it did not mean much to me. It makes more sense as I age!

Life will move on. Things will change. No one is responsible for your life. No one is coming to save you. (God is an exception here). So, you better God-damn be the best version of yourself. One of my friends said, "Do not confuse mediocrity with equanimity" Never be a "bare-minimum guy/girl". Go all in for what you want! Did all of this sound like that motivational TEDx talk? You know what! It was God-damn meant to be!