Potential is a Trap

The feeling of having lots of potential is a massive trap

For let’s just use me right now as an example for this…

I believe I have a ton of potential.

Honestly, sitting here right now I genuinely feel very confident in my capacity to do something really remarkable on this earth and help a lot of people.

I have had this thought for most of my life.

Every moment I spend thinking about how much potential I have, however, does 2 things:

1. It spends time thinking about my potential and doesn’t spend time taking action toward that potential.

1. It compares my current state to an imaginary dream state that does not (and cannot exist)

“So I should just think I don’t have potential?”

“What do you mean imaginary? You think I’m lying about my dreams?”

No and no.

First, it’s wonderful and necessary to have confidence.

But only when that confidence is channeled into your actions and into your life.

Sitting back and just jerking off your ego is a waste of time, especially when your reality does not match that dream.

Second, people don’t like this one, but the potential you dream of is imaginary.

Quite literally it is made up in your mind.

Even if you take examples from other people, projecting them onto yourself is an act of imagination.

To be clear, I don’t think it’s bad to visualize a goal or dream state in order to inspire yourself to act.

But it’s important to remember that when you do that, it is genuinely made up by you.

And if you start to compare your current reality against a future that is made up, then you will never live up to it.

The present will always fail in comparison, because you cannot imagine what your results will actually look and feel like.

Someone I look up to who has created financial freedom in his life completely through his own actions told me once he was with his friends in a pool looking out over santorini from their villa and they looked at eachother and said “to be honest, I kinda feel like shit right now.”

That’s not a bad thing, it’s just how they actually felt.

I bet in your dreams of your “potential” you never dream about feeling like shit.

No, you dream of happiness and success and freedom and peace.

The fact that these guys felt like shit on a rad Greek vacation provided by their own businesses doesn’t lessen the worth or meaning of what they created, it was just how that moment played out.

Bringing this back to my example of me however.

This is a good one so listen up.

Many times the feeling of thinking about all the potential I have, if I compare it against where I am right now, can make me feel anxious that I’m not taking the actions I need to get there.

Want to know why that feeling is EXACTLY correct in that moment?

Because, quite literally, I am not taking the actions I need to get there in that moment.

I am thinking or dreaming about a potential future state, implying that I AM NOT TAKING ACTION IN THAT MOMENT.

So look, if you know you have a lot of potential, that’s good.

Use it as an inspiration to get back to taking action toward that potential.

When you can complete the positive action-based feedback loop that starts from

“I know I can do this, I know I have the potential”

And that thought immediately leads to action towards that potential, you’re good.

But if that thought leads to anxiety over not being there, leads to hesitation, leads to doubting yourself, leads to THINKING, you’re falling into the trap.