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“You never arrive at your potential—you can only continue to strive toward it.”


A thought by John C. Maxwell from his book, Beyond Talent (p. 121). HarperCollins Leadership. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

For some that would be a discouraging thought but not for others.  Maybe it is for you.

John says, “Let’s face it. Most people are resistant to change. They desire improvement, but they resist changing their everyday routine. That’s a problem because, as leadership expert Max DePree says, ‘We cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are.’ To sharpen your talent through practice, you need to do more than just be open to change. You need to pursue change—and you need to do it a little bit more than other achievers. Here’s what to look for and how to focus your energy to get the kinds of changes that will change you for the better:

• Don’t change just enough to get away from your problems—change enough to solve them.

• Don’t change your circumstances to improve your life—change yourself to improve your circumstances.

• Don’t do the same old things expecting to get different results—get different results by doing something new.

• Don’t wait to see the light to change—start changing as soon as you feel the heat.

• Don’t see change as something hurtful that must be done—see it as something helpful that can be done.

• Don’t avoid paying the immediate price of change—if you do, you will pay the ultimate price of never improving.”

John the says, “Poet and philosopher Johann von Schiller wrote, ‘He who has done his best for his own time has lived for all times.’ You can do your best only if you are continually seeking to embrace positive change.

“When you have worked hard in practice to sharpen your talent and you begin to see results, please don’t think that it’s time to stop practicing. You never arrive at your potential—you can only continue to strive toward it. And that means continual practice.”

I know, I know this isn’t for everyone but is it for you?

Yes, yes!

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