infinite potential
Just for fun, consider re-entering into your agreement of full participation for the following exercise: Drop down and do as many pushups as possible, never stopping until you reach complete failure (i.e. continue doing pushups until you are unable to squeeze out even a single additional pushup.) It’s okay to move quickly!
Have you finished? Did you keep your agreement? Did you do all that you could do? You may answer ‘yes’, however, even if you forced out the last pushup, the answer to “Did you do all that you could do?” is always no. You may have pushed yourself as far as you could go right now, yet what would happen if you continued to consistently exercise with pushups throughout the next month? Many of you would do five more, ten more or even double the number of pushups you just completed. This simple metaphor of pushups helps us understand the concept of potential.
We all underestimate potential because we tend to think of it as something that can be fulfilled; that one day we will live up to it. This understanding of potential limits us. There is no way we can reach our potential.
Conservatively, scientists estimate that there are 100 trillion neuron junctions (neural pathways) in the human brain. That means that the number of possible mental states available to us is greater than the total number of atoms in the universe! Our ability to do and think new things parallels the concept of infinity. There will always be another number after we think we have reached the end, another possibility.
Understanding our infinite potential raises our personal awareness. When we get conscious of our unlimited capabilities, of the endless possibilities, and discover how to keep moving ourselves into action, we unleash our potential - one of the greatest aspects of being human. There is no end to learning. There is no end to growing. There is no end. So the next time you think you just can’t do anymore . . . think again.
