*This post may contain affiliate links. That means I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases or sign-ups at certainly no additional cost to you! Thanks!*
Ever get that nagging sense that there’s something more to life than what you’re experiencing today? Like there’s a pull towards something, but you can’t wrap your head around what it is?
It could very well be a calling. A wake-up call.
A gentle nudge reminding you that you’re not fully realizing your potential and that there’s more you could do.
However, various obstacles may be impeding your alignment with that purpose.
If you feel this way, here are 5 things that might be stopping you.
5 Things That Stop You From Living Up To Your Potential
1. It’s fear.
Deep down, you KNOW you can do more, but your doubts paralyze you.
Fear. It’s that forceful, wicked internal voice whispering, “you can’t,” and eventually, you start to believe it.
A study shows that this emotion decreases our ability to take risks.
We shied away from trying due to the looming specters of failure, embarrassment, and criticism.
Countless opportunities slipped through our fingers because we lacked the courage. It may even be heartbreaking to see people around us succeed, while we consciously chose to turn a blind eye just to “save face.”
Sadly, I was guilty of this, too.
So for years, I’ve set my eyes on defeating this fear, and gradually moved out of my comfort zone. I reframed my perspective.
The next time we feel that fear creeping in, it’s a signal we must break our way in. Because beyond that fear lies opportunities and growth.
Seize it. Fear only loses its power once we jump into the storm and realize it’s not as bad as we imagined.
Growth starts as you stomp every fear blocking your way.
2. Your love of free time
No, I’m not talking about your weekends, when you finally get a chance to recharge from the hectic workweek.
I’m talking about people like me, who have LOTS of free time and choose to squander it on watching and reading their favorite fiction.
You see, research shows that more free time on our hands doesn’t equate to more happiness. It says two hours of free time is great, but more than five, we’d start to decline.
Short story time: I’ve spent the three years building my businesses. However, in the past year, I felt too complacent and started to fall away from productivity.
I ceased putting in the effort, assuming my businesses would thrive independently.
But true enough, such love for free time eventually caused my hardships to crumble. Everything that I didn’t water eventually withered.
I succumbed to the temptation of free time and procrastinated for months. Ugh, my schedule was unsightly.
If you also spend days glued to the TV or engrossed in smartphone games, you must rethink how many opportunities you might miss.
Having abundant free time may seem appealing, but it also means hours wasted without physical, financial, or mental growth.
If something is stopping us from reaching our potential, you bet the love for free time is one of them.
We gotta move!
Related Post: 5 Time Wasters That Hinder Your Productivity
3. You abandoned your gifts and talents
It’s a sad truth, but many of us don’t utilize our God-given talents.
I truly believe that each of us possesses a unique gift – whether it’s the ability to communicate effectively, mentor others, kinesthetics, create, or simply nurture those around us.
The thing is, one reason why we can’t live to our own potential is, that we ourselves can’t pinpoint what talents and gifts we have.
That said, take a journey and seek for it.
Explore jobs and career paths to understand what works and doesn’t work for you.
And after a few years, evaluate. What part of your career makes you feel satisfied? Which ones don’t?
Follow these clues, and you’ll eventually uncover the hidden treasure that reveals your true strengths. And when you find those, your sense of purpose will naturally follow.
I tell you, to live to the best of your potential, you must cultivate that innate gift – a skill or talent you never get tired of – and productively help people with it.
4. You’ve isolated yourself for too long
Are you isolating? You see, I’m introverted, and I even dedicated an entire blog to express my introversion.
I love to be independent, and this is why being a writer is a dream.
I love how I could just work from home and be cooped up in my humble room, writing my thoughts away. I’ve finally detached from the toxic world!
However, after three years, isolation started to take a toll on me.
Indeed, a study shows that prolonged isolation is never intended for humans.
Watching the world from the comforts of my room, I realized how much I was missing out.
With that said, I’ve started to be more social once again.
I still love to work from home, but now I’ve come to understand that personal growth necessitates interaction with people.
I can learn from them, and vice versa. People start to recommend my services to others, and people begin to reach out to me and I got more opportunities.
We mustn’t shy away from collaborating with people to live up to our potential.
5. You run away from challenges.
Here I am, acknowledging another one of my weaknesses— over a decade ago, I’ve developed a habit of avoiding challenges.
At first, it was to get back to the people who abused my kindness and dumped their responsibilities on me.
However, that bitterness led me to evade responsibilities altogether.
Over the years, avoiding challenges became second nature. It becomes so difficult when we make a habit of rejecting opportunities because we see them as a burden.
Now is the time to wake up.
The challenges we face in life are chances to become better. Each time we overcome them, we emerge as stronger, more courageous versions of ourselves.
Stop saying an automatic no.
Instead, think about it more positively and give it a try because the more we say yes to an experience and opportunity, the more we grow in life.
That’s it! I hope this list gave you insights, and may this help you point out which ones to avoid to help you live your most potential!
Thanks for reading!
You may also like: