Potential Pusher

At work, if I have a patient whose blood pressure or sugar is uncontrolled, I have him/her log their numbers at home. They then bring them at their follow-up visit and we decide the next course of action: no medication, medication adjustment or change. Same thing if there is a skin infection – cellulitis, we ask them to take a picture and monitor regression since the start of antibiotics to prevent full-blown sepsis. To move forward, you need a screenshot of your past or present. How else would you compare and rate your improvement?

Ever noticed people at the gym writing down their sets and reps? I used to laugh at it – internally of course, then I realized they are doing something right. How do you improve if you don’t know what to improve on, what to work on. You have been doing 15 reps of the same exercise for the past month; a little adjustment could have you doing 18 reps if you knew your fitness level then and worked on it during that month, to add the additional 3 reps. Staying the same is never an option; the world is constantly evolving around us. Stay the same and you get left behind. And nobody is leaving baby behind!

Personally, I do not write my sets or reps down but I do understand the power in meeting your goals - and the satisfaction of crossing things off! And to do so, the first thing is you have to know what your goals are.

Ever had conversation with people and when asked about their goals, they cannot even think of anything they would like to achieve in 3 months or even 3 years. Or better yet, they will have a goal but steps are unknown. The latter is fine, but also having had the same goal in mind for years and not actively working through the necessary steps is as bad as not having one at all.

For example, I want to be personal trainer. This is a physical and visual job for the most part; people will want to book your services for how they see your own training has brought results to your body. Whether it is the physical benefits, or medical or even emotional, they want the positive aspect fitness has seemingly brought to you. No one - very few, will select a personal trainer who has a big gut. People are trying to get rid of their gut; they want someone who has succeeded at getting rid of theirs. It is what it is. So my goal is to be a personal trainer and I have learned how different exercise programs affect the body, what nutrition plan works best for which clients, methods to avoid, decrease and rehabilitate injuries and most importantly, there is a deadline for each step of my journey to personal training and nutrition certification.

You have a goal, write it down; whether it is on your phone, a piece of paper, a white board. Make it tangible in that sense. There is no way to forget the goal if it is documented. Ever had an idea on how to solve a problem? And the lighting ball turns on in your mind while you are doing the most random thing; you might be driving, in the shower, at a party, in church and my favorite: 5 minutes before falling asleep. This is why I have a pen and sticky notes by my bed. I’ll write down the solution or step real quick before it disappears as random and fast it came. Writing it down puts more chances in my corner that I will succeed at checking off the goal of my list, sooner rather than later.

The following are some ways I keep myself accountable for my journey, my evolution, my life:

• White board – most things on it are my yearly goals. It serves more as a vision board for the humongous goals. Example: buying a house in 2 years. It also has my bills and monthly beauty appointments. At quick glance, I know what I should be doing next month, or next year.

• Planner – my new best friend. I recently bought one from the company Sprinkle of Jesus - it is colorful, has motivating quotes and is parted really well. It gets me excited by just opening it and has most of my weekly and monthly goals. Example: If I want to increase my readers on the blog 20% in the next 3 months, there are things I should be doing weekly and monthly to meet that specific goal.

• Phone – my lifelong partner. This device is my life. Daily and weekly goals are mapped out and when the notifications come up as reminders, they put me in check and I am able to readjust quicker to ensure I am and remain on the right path.

• Family/friends – do not underestimate the power of speaking things out loud to “your” people. I emphasized your people because if they are not in your rooting circle, then they can jeopardize your growth, purposely. My family and friends know some of my goals, and they would remind me if/when I have veered off course.

Your worst enemy is your last success. Too many times we get comfortable where we are. Like you get a degree and you are done with any type of learning. You have your family home and you will never invest in another property. If that is you, and you are content then by all means, fine; I am not speaking to you. Also do not complain or envy if the next person is turning their potential into actuality. We all have potential; it is what you are doing to access and work on it that differs us from others. What are you doing with your potential?

Potential does have to meet opportunity to be activated but sitting on it is definitely not a wise option. Things do not happen to you, they happen for you. The cemetery is the richest place on the earth – why you ask; because it is full of potential. A bunch of POTENTIAL writers, teachers, actors, singers, fathers, role models. They had ideas, vision, goals but they were all sitting on their potential. We will never get to experience the good deed their potential could have accomplished.

Being mediocre is easy. Being lazy is stress-free. Being content with the bare minimum is cool. But who wants to just be?! I want to live and making it count. So read the “how-to book”, go to the seminar, get the mentor, go for the extra reps, move to the new city. Write down your goal and turn your potential into a reality. Not everyone will be Beyonce, but you can be Kelly and not the other members of Destiny’s Child no one ever talks about!

The best athletes keep record of their sets. So get in the game. Win by tapping into your potential.