The word "potential" has been the bane of my existence for over 20 years. I have heard various people make reference to my "potential", and the majority of people who really get to know me will eventually ask why I'm not "making the big bucks" somewhere. Too many people, in fact, to write it up to random sycophants blowing smoke. Eventually, after being asked that question, I had to ask MYSELF that question. Sure, I'd held down some good jobs, but none of the jobs really had a future, which is why I eventually abandoned them for greener pastures.
My self searching told me much about myself, and about the climate in which I was raised. For, you see, I did not see success as a path, but rather a chance happening that comes about by fortune or accident of birth. Success, to me, was not possible no matter how many skills you possessed; it was dependent on who you knew and who you were. This was reinforced through years of watching my father, a man equally as intelligent and capable as myself, if not even greater in intelligence and capability, wander through a career full of similarly good jobs without ever finding any level of success.
As I began to study others who were successful, and WHY they were successful, the thought finally came to me that it was my mindset, first and foremost, that needed revamping if I were to ever become successful. Keep in mind that, to me, success is not measured in dollars, but in utilizing one's talents and gifts to their full potential. One can be a multimillionaire and not be successful in those regards.
Because I thought success was essentially an accident, that fortune was tied to one's stars, rather than one's self, I didn't prepare for success. I didn't develop the disciplines necessary to follow through on lengthy assignments, I abandoned projects as soon as I undertook them, and I consigned my future to fate rather than working to fully realize my potential.
On another thread, unrelated, LW asked the question as to why someone who was eligible for government assistance does not receive government assistance, when it would help themselves and their families to get through temporary difficult circumstances. I cannot answer the question for others, but as for myself, my reasoning is tied in very closely with this philosophy. You see, I was raised in a family that, while highly intelligent, was essentially a multigenerational welfare family. The addiction to entitlements is as destructive and disabling to my own psyche as the addiction to alcohol is to an alcoholic's psyche. Therefore, as far as it is possible, it is in my best interest, and the best interests of my children to break that addiction so that my children will have the prospect of a better future. To teach that, while success occasionally does come by accident or by birthright, it comes more often from hard work and discipline, and that there are no shortcuts to those.
I hope to look back in five years and see that I've realized a greater percentage of my potential. I'm hoping that the rewards that come through the hard work will pass on valuable life lessons to my children, and that my children and grandchildren will not have to overcome the same hurdles to success that I have allowed to hold me back. And I hope that my life one day can be an object lesson to those who are mired where I was a few short years ago.