6 Ways to Unlock Your True Potential
Even as we strive to be compassionate and loving beings to those around us, sometimes we forget to love ourselves. Part of loving ourselves is not restricting ourselves from shining brightly in the world. I have discovered that the biggest block in my life has been learning how to step into my true power and potential without letting the opinions of others pull me down.
Being powerful can often feel self-serving, especially if you surround yourself with people who live as if it is unsafe to shine their light and become powerful leaders. Here are some tips for unlocking your true potential.
- Don’t Apologize for Voicing Your Truth
It seems self-explanatory that this is counterproductive to our growth as human beings, yet too many of us catch ourselves on a regular basis interrupting ourselves midway through a thought and justifying our thoughts. If you feel you need to explain yourself, justify your truth, or apologize for the way you feel, ask yourself why you feel uncomfortable and see if you can change your response next time.
- Share Your Story
This goes along with #1, which is about sharing your story without punishing yourself by telling yourself this is being “egotistical.” This is another form of self-harm! This has been one of the most difficult hurdles for me—to get over the hump and not feel self-conscious when I share my story with others. You may notice people you come across feel uncomfortable with your openness and willingness to share yourself, but don’t let that bring you down! It is absolutely safe to love and appreciate yourself, and share it with everyone you meet!
- Empower Your Audience
If you are stuck in a situation of letting yourself become disempowered by another individual(s) in your life, challenge yourself to turn the situation around and ask your friend, “What is your gift?” This simple sentence is very powerful, because it takes the pressure off of you to take on a burden that is not yours to take on, and it empowers your friend at the same time. Instead of allowing someone else to feel less than you in response to your ability to share, allow them the space to realize their gifts!
- Identify Your Tribe
Remember, not everyone in your life is there to support you. Some are there to push you to greater heights, help you find your truth, heal a deep wound, or learn the true meaning of unconditional love.
It can be extremely painful and make you question your entire life’s purpose in one swift blow, but it’s important to always come away from the situation with the knowing that life is not rebelling against you, it’s all being orchestrated for you.
There are also those whom you will identify as part of your tribe. Your tribe consists of people who support and love you unconditionally, allow you to speak your truth freely, respect differences of opinion, allow you to grow and shine your light, and never restrict you to move forward in your life. Take a moment to identify them and have gratitude for them. They could be your bus driver, someone at your yoga class, your neighbor across the street or your Uncle Joe. Let them know you love and appreciate them!
- Confront Yourself — the Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Yep, this is the hardest one, which is also why it’s toward the bottom of the list. Confront yourself and take credit for the ways that you have stood up for yourself, believed in yourself, as well as let yourself down by allowing that inner voice to tell you that you can’t do it and that you’re not good enough. Don’t blame it on others, because that’s self-harm as well.
Look at yourself honestly, and take credit for all of it. In the end, your conscious awareness of who you are as an ever-growing and expanding human being participating in this game called life will allow you more room to not feel defeated every time something doesn’t go according to your plan.
- Put Your Superpowers to Work!
Go out into the world and work your magic! Be your own hero!
About the Author
Times of Social Unrest Appear to Boost Our Brain's Neuroplasticity
New research suggests that times of global unrest present a unique opportunity for neurological growth and profound behavior change, but only when leveraged correctly.
Kayla Osterhoff is a neuropsychophysiologist who studies the interaction of the mind and brain, which she calls the ‘human operating system.’
“One of the greatest mysteries in modern neuroscience is actually how the brain produces the mind. The reason why we have not been able to come up with the answer for this is because that’s not how it works. These two are actually separate systems that interact together to produce what I call the ‘human operating system,’ which is responsible for our version of reality as humans,” Osterhoff said.
Osterhoff has recently been researching the hypothesis that times of social unrest provide a valuable opportunity to neurologically upgrade this human operating system.
“Right now, we have this very unique opportunity to upgrade our ‘human operating system’ globally,” Osterhoff said. “And that is because as a society around the entire world we are experiencing this social unrest and this has caused a couple of significant cognitive and neurological shifts that have provided an opportunity for us to grow and evolve as a society.”
Osterhoff points to several fascinating factors that contribute to this phenomenon.
“So, studies are showing that acute states of stress, like shock, trauma, or something surprising like what we’re currently experiencing in our world, caused this cognitive psychological shift that actually makes our subconscious mind more suggestible, meaning that our subconscious mind is brought forward so to speak, and it’s more malleable, it’s more programmable,” Osterhoff said.
