HOW TO DISCOVER YOUR POTENTIALS

Introduction:

Talking about potential, we must define it and understand its origin.

According to Oxford Dictionary, potential is defined as:

1. Capacity for use or development.

2. Usable resources.

3. Physics quantity determining the energy of mass in a gravitational field or of charge in an electric field.

All of these definitions are correct, but the one that best fit for now is number 2; which is “usable resources”.

In high school, we were taught that potential energy is energy at rest, while kinetic energy is energy in motion; this goes a long way to fortify the definition of potential as stated above.

Potential is simply resources available for use.

Origin of Potential:

The word potential is derived from the word “potent”. According to Oxford Dictionary, potent is:

1. Powerful; strong.

2. (Of a reason) cogent; forceful.

3. (Of a male) capable of sexual erection or orgasm.

All of these definitions are correct; potent also means “being capable” or “being productive”.

Still on the origin of potentials, all things derive their potentials from their creators. For instance, a car has a potential to move, speed, carry loads and the likes, these potentials are predetermined by its inventor, they were all intended and a reason for such invention, so it is to human being too.

God created us with certain potentials; there is nothing we know how to do that God hasn’t put there when we were created. To simplify it, we are the image of God, so if God is omnipotent, then it means we too are potent enough to do certain things. This is why inventions, discoveries and other types of creations are delegated to us. God is the origin of any potential human beings has.

A boy is a potential man, so is a girl a potential woman, both are a potential nation.  An egg is a potential chicken, while a seed is a potential forest. All of these have the “usable resources” to become what they are destined for, but might never become them. Three things always make the difference: discovering, appropriate usage of potentials and prioritizing potentials.

Discovering potentials:

As odd as it might sound, no single person is born empty, each person is born with loads of potentials, and lives and Identity of people are formed by their potentials. The difference between people is their different and unique potentials and the applications. Early discovery of potentials help one to know where he/she belongs in life.

Without discovering your potentials, you have no identity; you just exist, not living, because you are created for a purpose and without first discovering your potentials, attaining your purpose for living is a practical impossibility. Discovering your potentials is important for effective living; no one had lived an effective life without first discovering his/her potentials.

Appropriate usage of your potentials:

Discovering your potential is just a preliminary assignment, appropriate of your potentials brings you to the attainment and fulfillment of your purpose, it distinct you from people and helps you to make full use of the resources available resources: potential.

Abuse of your potential is suicide. However, a lot of people are abusing their potentials and this is why they can’t get fulfillment in life. They may be rich, even famous, but they can never have a sense of fulfillment of their purposes for living. Nothing cripples fulfillment of purpose more than abuse of potentials.

Prioritizing Potentials

We are born with several potentials, but only one or two of them liberates others and we must discover this single potential if we want to fulfill our purpose in life. This is where prioritizing your potentials is needed.

Setting your priority helps in the appropriate use of your potentials. You can also achieve the best priority if you consult God on it.

Tips on how to discover your potentials:

Having learnt that God is the source of your potentials, it is important to connect with him to know your potentials. No one knows more about a product than its inventor, so no one knows more about you than your creator: God. The best shortcut to discovering your potentials is by asking God. This is not religion.

However, several religions have made it impossible for people to directly hear from God by making them believe it is limited to some religion leaders, but that’s not true. Do your best to find out who God is, have a relationship with him and learn to hear from him. While trying to discover my own potentials, the first book I searched for was a book on how to hear from God.

Hearing from God could be a longer process for some people, but even though there is another way, which is to observe yourself, it is easier if you can hear from God. Understand your strength and weaknesses, find out what you loved doing, that which you love to do even if you are not paid to do it; something you have passion for, that is where your potential is and that is what will lead to the fulfillment of your purpose, concentrate on its development.

When I was growing up, I was the most timid guy I have ever knew, I was very shy and it was no surprise I couldn’t ask a girl out until I was out of high school. Back in high school, I also didn’t like writing notes, I preferred to jot things down and that was how I passed my examination, but I was going to be a super writer and public speaker. How on earth is that possible?

I was born a potential writer; I was always with a pen and a book even before I started primary school, but I lost it in secondary school due to environment, peer pressure and over confidence. However, I rediscovered my passion when I crossed over to Lagos, writing about my experiences in secondary school, most of which are tragedies. I soon found out there was only one thing I knew how to do and that was writing. I enjoyed writing even though I had no idea what I was writing. I just loved to write.

One day one of the pastors in my local church said that what we want to become in life is embedded in what we enjoy doing without being paid. I realized writing was one thing I had so much passion for, I enjoyed doing it that people have began to think I was crazy, I had rejected #25, 000 job for the one of #6000 job simply because the latter gave me the chance to write. It wasn’t easy, but writing gives me happiness, so I had nothing to regret.

By the time my pastor said that, I had written 100s of lyrics and what is now called poems, so I realized I was going to be a writer and I have enjoyed doing it till today.

That goes to show how concentrating on my strength, what I love doing most led me to discovering my potential, attain my purpose and gradually leading to the fulfillment of it.

Importance of Prioritizing Potentials:

Even though it sounded relatively easy how I discovered my potential, I did not have a single potential, and that proved to be a lot of problem. I was a writer, but even in writing, there are genres and I could not do all genres of writing. I was so confused. I started with lyrics, to poems, to plays, to prose, to screenplays, and to essays, but I must choose one and even if it is possible to do all, I must know the one that will come first. I needed to set my priority.

Aside from writing, I also could sing and I recorded some of my lyrics, I went for several competitions. I was simply a confused jack of all trade mastering none of my potentials even though I had them. You must understand that even though an egg has the potential to become a chicken, it might not become chicken, it might end up cooked and eaten or fried. With any of these, it is still fulfilling a purpose for it.

This is the same with human being, that you know how to sing or write songs does not mean you will become a musician, that you write does not mean you will become a writer, but if you can set your priority, you can become everything you want to be, using your potentials.

I dropped singing for awhile, because it required money, which I didn’t have, I dropped screenplay, because it required some technicality, which I had to pay to learn, I took up poetry since I could develop myself on it without having to pay more, I took essays as well and today, these two are opening ways for the rest of my potentials.

Through my essays, I discovered I was called to be a Public Speaker and I had to horn my skills in it. I started by buying several books on public speaking, speaking to the teenagers in my church and going to seminars to learn from the best.

I now get invitations to speak and lecture, based on my essays, I get invitations to perform my poetry, on air and off air and through that; I can make money to sponsor my screenplays and other genres of writing I do. This means none of my potentials is a waste.

About the Lecturer:

Eneji Stephen Toluwalashe, popularly known as Soul’e Rhymez; regarded as the Finest Thinker of 21^st century, is an Essayist, Poet and Lyricist, a Social Analyst, Lecturer and Public Speaker, whose several works has been published and read around the world.

He is the founder of Great Mind Initiatives International, (GMII) an initiative which gave birth to True Education Campaign (TEC); aimed at redefining and balancing education and make it more productive for the benefit of all.

He is also the founder of SRAF (Soul’e Rhymez And Friends) an Online platform, which is aimed at transformation of lives via Seminars, Lectures, Discourse and also to render help to the needy in the society.

He is passionate about leading a wise generation, who is always willing to unlearn and learn new and more beneficial things for the good of everyone.

You can read most of his essays and poems on: soulerhymez.blogspot.com or greatmindsinitiativesinternational.blogspot.com

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You can also reach him on call or WhatsApp via: +2348163800077

To read more of this, please like our page: www.facebook.com/soulerhymezandfriends/ or log on to soulerhymez.blogspot.com.

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