Path of Potential Greatness

Last week we talked about someone who is on the path of potential greatness. I don’t know that I really know the definition of what that truly means. But it did get me thinking, did I travel on that path? Am I still on the path? Just because you started out on the path, it doesn’t mean you can’t get off track. Last week’s article also made me think about something previously that I had written. The article was titled, “Choose your Competition Wisely”. The article talked about competing with the voice in your head. As I was thinking about everything something popped into my head, Did I ever hit my potential? I’m sure when all of us were younger we had a teacher or ten, who labeled us. Some kids had potential, others, not so much. If I am being completely honest, I don’t care if I hit a teacher’s target on who I would become. But, what about me? At some point we all closed our eyes and thought about our own potential. We told ourselves that if everything lined up perfectly, this is who I will become or what I will do. I know I had myself on a path to greatness at one point. Maybe I didn’t know all the specifics, but I knew I would be great. So, did I make it? Did I come close? Am I almost there? When I look at everything, a few things become very clear. First, I think I am on the path, but I’m not nearly where I thought I would be. I thought I would be almost to the end, instead I feel like I’m closer to the beginning. Second, I still have time. I’ve lost motivation along the way, and I have hit some very big roadblocks, but I have time. So now what? I think as I have been walking this path, I’ve been focused on the scenery more than the path. When you first get on the path, it’s easy. I watched as some people started the path or some people fell off the path. I kept turning my head instead of looking at the goal at the end. I’ve been so distracted, I forgot what the end of the path looks like. At some point I created my definition of greatness, and then I forgot. I let everyone else define it, and every time I did, I left my path for a certain amount of time and hopped on theirs. So the time has come to remember my definition of greatness. For me, I think I started off as an underdog. So many people were blessed with more ability. That was fine with me, I enjoyed being the underdog. Then over time, something changed. I went from being an underdog to being the main dog. Now the older I get; I’m starting to realize that I am the underdog again. You have the younger generation trying to prove themselves and then you have everyone who is further along than you trying to stay ahead of you. So, there you sit in the middle, trying to figure everything out again. For this to work out, you must remember that only your opinion matters. We are once again listening to the voice in our head, and competing against our toughest opponent, ourselves! What do I want? What’s important to me? For me, I want to do it my way! I have my game plan, my recipe. Everyone wants to tell me to do it a certain way, but I know what I see in my head, and that’s what I want.  In the end, I want to be known as a great communicator. I want to have a podcast and a newsletter. Most of all, before it is all done and over with, I want to be an author. I want people to be excited to hear the new things I have done and then I want them to recommend it to a friend or colleague. I want to be able to go to work and be successful and use that success to help me get better. I want to take everything that I have learned and be able to put it into words that help people. I want to make sure that I stay on the path and stop getting distracted. I want to surround myself with people who will not only push me, but they want pushed to finish their own path. Let’s make everyone great!