Unlocked Potential

Henry Ward Beecher once wrote, “Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody expects of you. Never excuse yourself.” I believe that Beecher is acknowledging that we have complete control of what we are capable of accomplishing, as long as we don’t allow ourselves to be swayed by other people opinions. It’s common, now, that people allow decisions to rest in the hands of their peers, but I believe that if people do so they’re obstructing their own ability to reach their true potential. The only way for people to attain larger than life goals is to maintain control and not allow their ideas to be tainted by the other people in their lives.

I believe that Beecher arguing that people should always think of themselves as capable of anything and never lower their expectations to fit those of others. Too commonly people see the expectations of others as a goal, rather than their own, but, the truth is, the majority of the time, what other people expect of you is usually a bare minimum compared to what is actually attainable. This, then, makes you think of their expectations as large and almost impossible to reach, when in all actuality they barely suffice for fifty percent of your potential. If brilliant people such as Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerburg limited themselves to what was, at the time, brilliant they would have never gone on to discover a whole new level of excellence. There are few people in the world that can classify themselves as innovators, and they are the people who never once belittled themselves with the ideas and limitations of others.

Beecher also acknowledges that people shouldn’t give themselves limits. People could never imagine what they’re capable of doing, so to give oneself limitations on aspects of life that aren’t even certain is foolish. People are constantly surprised when they discover what their capable of, but not everyone allows themselves to be. It is necessarily a bad thing to find comfort within limits, but to unlock a great amount of potential is by far more fulfilling and exciting. Our society should stop setting goals that only unlock a small amount of potential; rather, they should be constantly encouraging people to see what they’re capable of.