Uncovering potential is an art. There is a method to it. It takes reflection and trial and error to understand what it is people can offer. With that being said, realizing your potential is rather simple when you and environment encourage it.
Human beings think they are rational. Rational, logical, slow, thoughtful decision-makers. Very ordered. We are not orderly or logical or rational thinkers all of the time, or I’d say even most of the time. We are not robots. Nonrational, emotional, reflective, reactive, impulsive, and circular thinking is human fundamentality. Potential can come from both mental capacities.
Decode Your Brain
Our intuition reacts before our rational minds can process what is happening. When these intuitive reactions occur, try to analyze why it is those reactions exist. Why were you extremely nervous standing in front of those board members, why did you become curious about microbiology after visiting a Natural History museum? Also, why do your intuitive reactions surprise you? Are they reactions you would not have expected from yourself?
Our minds send levels of comfort constantly and those comfort levels determine whether or not to approach a situation again or to explore something new. The best way to “decode” or tap into these comfort levels more frequently is to put yourself in unfamiliar situations.
Introduce Experiments
Actively put yourself in new situations, and organize your day to introduce daily experiments. Each experiment comes with a hypothesis and an analysis of the outcome. For example, a good one for me maybe something like this: “If I speak up and ask questions at this meeting that I’ve prepared this morning before anyone else, I may be more comfortable to sit in and listen to what everyone else has to say.”
When the meeting is over, I will go back to my hypothesis and see if I was Correct Somewhat Correct or Wrong. From there, of course, a new modified hypothesis that caters toward the level of comfort my mind communicated to me can be made.
Stay In The Moment
These daily experiments keep you in the moment. We tend to run on auto-pilot, especially regarding complex tedious tasks. We turn on atmospheric music, sit in a comfortable chair, make sure our desk is set up to be the perfect calming zen with plants and candles, and a dog bed under toe. As nice as this environment sounds, remember that these elements may be fuel for the auto-pilot. I’m a big believer in the stand-up desk and frequent walking breaks to alleviate anxiety.
Focus On Negitivity
It sounds odd to say but focus on the negative reactions to your mental model. If my daily experiment did not go as planned and my immediate reaction was that of extreme anxiety or frustration, it is not the people around me that are to blame. My experiment’s hypothesis was simply incorrect.
This can get a bit frustrating when the hypothesis seems plain and simple, something anyone could accomplish – something obvious. Don’t be fooled by this perception. Nothing is obvious. What you are feeling is easily what many others are feeling. Stay inside your head and approach the situation again in a modified manner. For example, instead of speaking first, I may want to experiment with reacting to a co-worker’s ideas first.
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