Unlocking the 6 Psychological Keys to Reaching Your Potential
In the workforce today, many of us struggle to balance it all: work, family, friends, hobbies, pleasure and more. We are often overworked, burnt out, and just going through the motions. In my experience both as a professional counselor as well as a corporate leader I have found that people tend to focus on the wrong things to help them grow, reach their potential, and create a life filled with meaning and purpose. They go searching externally for answers when I have found that the secret to their success lies within them.
In developing a coaching plan to help folks reach new heights, I integrate counseling to unlock what I call the six psychological keys to reaching potential. These are six categories to explore that involve taking a deeper look into our inner world and how they impact our personal and professional lives (in this piece 3 of the 6 will be shared). The process begins with doing some soul searching to lay the foundation of the work. Before providing assessments and tips, it is beneficial to assess whether or not one is living authentically, and in congruence with their values.
Some questions to ask yourself when exploring your purpose and values are: What aspects of my life are filling my tank versus sucking it dry? What interests have I lost contact with that used to bring me energy and joy? What types of activities do I look forward to? When do I feel most passionate? What means the most to me (relationships, honesty, money, integrity, responsibility, just to name a few?) Then take a piece of paper and on one side write out all the things that emerge from these questions. On the other side write in the top section things you are doing that are in line with your values and on the bottom, things you are doing that are not in line with your values. It is almost impossible to really reach our own unique potential when we are not living authentically or have lost our passion, interests, and values.
Once you have defined what’s most important, now you can begin to form your professional presence. This can include identifying signature strengths and blind spots. What’s interesting is that typically what we are great at is also what we enjoy to do. For example, if you enjoy being with people, odds are your strengths are related to working with a team, perhaps being a leader or a helper. If you love organization or innovation, perhaps your strengths are to be the visionary, goal setter, or strategist. To realize your blindspots, you’ll need to request open and honest feedback. This can be tough! You can email your friends, family, partner, team or peers an evaluation for them to fill out and drop in your mailbox. Knowing what we are great at and what we can work on to grow will serve as beneficial in the quest to ultimately reach your potential.
Next, in order to reach our individual potential, one of the obstacles we must address head on is…yes…the inner critic. What is it you tell yourself that gets in the way of you going for it, chasing your dreams? What self-talk do you engage in and who’s voice is it? What are you scared of? Once we know what the critic has to say, we can then begin to challenge it head on. You can add another voice to this inner dialogue, one that believes in you and wants you to take risks in order to grow and reach new heights.
Hopefully, this information can get you started on the journey to reaching your potential.
