Development of Untapped Potential

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The word potential means “something that can, but has not yet, come into being.” If we were to rate ourselves from 1 to 10, with 10 being best in any focus area of our life, whether it be marriage, health, or the relationship with our children, we would be quickly evaluating strengths and weaknesses. If we rated ourselves as a 7, it was our strengths that got us to that 7 and it was our weaknesses that kept us from the 8, 9, or 10. To focus solely on strengths, while ignoring weaknesses, is unlikely to lead to significant progress. If we are truly sincere about improving results, it is essential to identify and modify weaknesses. The secrets to our greater achievements are hidden behind our weaknesses. We need to find the courage and techniques to turn our weaknesses into personal projects for achievement.

Imagine, for example, that a teacher an­nounces that there will be a major examination on four chapters of your textbook, that the test will be in one week, and that it will account for 60 percent of the semester grade. The students feel the pressure. Although overwhelmed with the amount of material to be covered, the stu­dents form study groups and work hard to prepare for the examination. The day of the examination comes, and everyone gets through it. At the following class, the instructor returns the tests with the corrections and reviews the correct answers. Then the professor makes a surprise announcement. The same exact test will be given again this Friday. After going through a series of mixed emotions, the students spend the week studying the material that they got wrong. Most of the effort this time was just focused on the weaknesses. It wasn’t nearly as over-whelming as attempting to learn all four chapters. When the real examination comes, they will feel much more prepared, confident and ready for it. Obviously, the test scores would be significantly improved. If the teacher keeps repeating the same test every week, eventually everyone will get an A.

Behavioral scientists say that human beings are the only animals that have the ability to be dissatisfied with self. The ability to see our own weaknesses is actu­ally a very unique and special gift. It is one of the major contributing factors behind human achievement. The principles of progress can lie within the ability to seek and correct infirmi­ties against the desired results. Each weakness is an indicator of where you can expect the biggest breakthroughs and the most noticeable improvements.