Who Are You, Really?

"The important thing is this: to be willing at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become."
- Charles Du Bos

There's a lot to be said about potential, but there's more to be said about drive. Many of us have it in ourselves to make something happen, however it has to be in our hearts to see it come to fruition. The quote above speaks loudly to me and prompts me to take a look at everyone around me. I interpret it to say that "what we could become" is our potential and "willing.... to sacrifice what we are" would be a measure of our drive. I'm an optimistic, silver-lining kind of guy and I can typically see someone's potential in a matter of minutes. The difference between someone that has potential and someone that has heart, or drive, could make all the difference in the reality of what you get.

The theory of potential may be most easily seen in the work environment. Management may often see potential in someone, but ultimately that person may not work out because the don't have the heart to reach that potential. You might argue that maybe that manager was just wrong about what they saw, but I might argue back that if someone sees potential, then that potential likely exists - it really comes down to how hard someone is willing to work to reach that potential. What about your own potential at work? Are you reaching your potential in your professional career? Is it because you're not being allowed to reach your potential, or possibly because you don't have the drive to reach it?

The same applies to yourself and those around you in your personal life. Where are you at in life, and do you feel you're reaching your potential? Are you willing to sacrifice what you are for what you could become? This concept may be a little more tricky in your personal life as there may be people who you've made a commitment to and who rely upon you, but it's still worth investigating. When watching movies, I would think that the people who feel like they have lived a "full life" are ones that feel that they have reached or exceeded their potential. Is that how you feel? If not, it may be time to reevaluate your situation. As they say, "It's never too late."

As usual, the real trick here is finding the balance of both drive and potential. If you have too much of one and not enough of the other, you'll either lose everything you have or not achieve anything you want out of life. Either scenario can be devastating, so take a good look at where you're at and what you want, then make something happen.