Unfortunately, there is often a wide gulf between our personal expectations of what we can achieve and what actually transpires in reality. Far too often we fall short of what we believe we could have done but that’s no reason to be disheartened. It is quite common to fall short because we are not doing the right things to be the best possible version of ourselves. We can often hamper our potential through a lack of organisation, nerves or adopt the wrong mindset amongst many other things. For all the technical knowledge or determination in the world without certain strategies and techniques being used you will never quite present yourself as well as you could do. But what can you do to change this? There are many things you can try out to see if you can achieve more. Check to see whether you would like to try out any of the following ideas.
Set Genuine Goals
The best way to gauge your progress with anything is to have something to measure yourself against. Without that there is no real tangible way of knowing if you are on track or not. You should always make written targets in advance of everything you do, not only work. Yes, you might slip up along the way and miss some goals but at least you will know what you missed and then you can reschedule them. Without any real targets, you will tend to just float along in life and tread water to a certain extent. The amount you are falling short on timescales will show you whether you are falling behind on the pace or if you are simply being too hard on yourself and try to get too much done too quickly. You will make yourself more organised by doing this too as you will be able to compartmentalise things and focus more on the things which are a priority to do sooner.
Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
Another reason why many people fail to fulfill their potential is that they are basically not pushing themselves far enough. If you just plod through things and just settle for the satisfactory then it’s no surprise that you are only displaying a small portion of your ability. This point links into the above about setting targets because you should be setting yourself ones which push you beyond the place where you feel comfortable. Try to learn new things continually and never rest on your laurels. Think you’ve mastered something then check, chances are you haven’t and there’s much more to learn. We often convince ourselves that we have something all figured out as an excuse to not have to learn more about it because we don’t feel it’s necessary. Never settle for where you are at or what you know, push the boundaries and try to extend yourself whenever possible.
Surround Yourself with Motivation
The biggest reason people fall short of their expectations is that they have lost their motivation and therefore the drive and determination to do more than the bare minimum. Find ways to keep yourself motivated such as rewarding yourself upon having completed a milestone achievement. Another method is to be around motivational people. This applies to both the workplace and one’s social life. People who motivate you will make you try new things and will encourage you along the way. An element of friendly competition can go a long way too. Beyond this, you need to motivate yourself too and not be wholly dependent on others to keep your enthusiasm levels up. If this is something which you struggle with then you could consider attending some free helpful personal development workshops. Training companies have strategies which will help you to manage your own performance and keep you motivated regardless of your circumstances so you can achieve your full potential.
