How to Release the Energy of Your Potential

“The potential of the average person is like a huge ocean unsailed, a new continent unexplored, a world of possibilities waiting to be released and channeled toward some great good.” - Brian Tracy All of us, no matter who we are, have at the very core of our being, a deep reservoir of innate potential . Many individuals are totally unaware of this resource and so this potential can lie dormant, untouched and unused, for an entire lifetime. When we are not running on full capacity life can take on a dimmer glow. We can feel ill-equipped to deal with lifes challenges. Do you ever think that there must be something better than this, or that life shouldn’t be so difficult? Do you ever ask yourself, why can’t I get what I need and want? Have you ever gone out and achieved something that was very important to you only to find it didn’t live up to your expectations? It just didn’t give you what you wanted. Or maybe you have massive motivation and enthusiasm at the start of a project but lose interest and momentum half way through. That probably leaves you very frustrated and with the dilemma of not knowing what you want or what you can achieve. Life is difficult when you are on a roller coaster of procrastination and stress, seeking happiness and success outside yourself. But that is where we believe it to be. We seek it outside of ourselves. We believe we live in an outside-in world and with the myth that our well-being is in external commodities, the bigger house, the expensive car , the ideal partner, the high flying job, the wonderful children, the successful deal. Striving and grasping to live the dream. Our commercial world depends on us continuing to believe that outside factors make us feel the way we want to feel. Marketing tells us that we are not buying a new car , a new house, we are buying an emotion. Always sell an emotion. That commodity is going to make us feel different. It is going to add something to our lives-pleasure, happiness, joy, comfort, peace, contentment, satisfaction. We are always seeking an emotional result – a good feeling - happiness. We are always seeking a positive emotional response to a limiting belief – when I get the promotion I will feel confident about myself. We have been hypnotized with dogma that is out of date and misleading. If I believe that this is an outside-in world and that things, people, situations can make me feel anything then I am in the victim role of “Life is done on to me”. Therefore people can magically cause me to feel something. People can magically manipulate and persuade me to behave in a certain way. And from that belief my rhetoric would be - " It is their own fault – they did this to me-they made me do that- I am not to blame". We are always feeling our own thoughts. Everything is an inside-out experience. Thoughts that chastise us, dominate us, control us, limit us is a definite sign that we are disconnected from ourselves and from our innate potential. Believing in the outside-in world, means that we look outside ourselves for the peace of mind, happiness, comfort, success we so desperately need. We become seekers not finders. We shine our torch in the wrong direction and miss this inner space filled with all the resources we need to live a full and exciting life. Tapping into your innate potential There are many names for this potential, "life force," "soul," “higher self,” “God,” “the universe,” “energy”. However it doesn't matter what it’s called or what beliefs have been attached to it, the important task is to access it and use it for the higher good of ourselves and for the benefits of others. I like to think of this innate potential as the energy of our authentic spirit. Although we may be from the same energy source , I like to think that each individual spirit has its own unique potential and purpose. This unique individual force is interdependent on the entire source. You may express this potential in a different way but we should get the same successful outcome from experiencing it, which is a deeper connection with our wisdom, our joy, our peace and security. Our motivation levels would naturally increase. There are individuals who have tapped into this innate potential and have experienced moments of greatness. Philosophers, writers, poets, musicians, athletes have all experienced that space or zone where something greater happens. They follow something that most people have ignored. “The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honours the servant and has forgotten the gift." - Albert Einstein Because we have been socialized and conditioned throughout our lives, we have become too involved with the rational mind, too dominated by the subconscious and have forgotten the real treasures in our innate potential. To honour the sacred gift means opening and experiencing the fullness of our innate potential. We can begin to release this energy of our authentic spirit. This potential knows what is good for us, it knows what our purpose is, expresses our truth, and offers us peace, happiness, security, success and joy. The hardest thing for us to do is to do nothing, and yet that is what we must do. There is only one practice and that is to allow that part of the mind which is filled with illusory thoughts to calm down. Allow those automatic thoughts to disperse and relinquish their hold. At this stage we can run into difficulties and want to give up, but please persevere. These thoughts have no power even if they are difficult to listen to. The secret is to not buy into them, don’t get involved. Your thoughts are teasing you for a conversation. But you are allowed to say “No thanks." Begin to ask or inquire as to what is beyond the judgements, beliefs that run through your mind. “Your mind will answer most questions if you learn to relax and wait for the answer.” - William S. Burroughs Begin to listen, not from the old mind set, but from a new place of no thought. Wait for this new thought - a new insight. Listening for the soft inner voice that throws jewels in front of you, golden nuggets of wisdom to awaken you. Listening for another direction, finding a brighter path, and letting you embrace a new perspective. “Traveller, your footprints Are the path and nothing more; Traveller, there is no path, The path is made by walking." - Antonio Machado This innate potential generates a wonderful renewal of thought, clarity, and congruence, when the mind and heart come together and you find you are being lead gently through the difficulties, the stresses, the challenges at a deeper level of awareness. We are honouring the gift of our innate potential when we follow that authentic energy propelling us towards greatest. “Begin, Be Bold and Venture to be wise” - Horace