Potential can take many forms and be applied to various paths in our lives; whether it’s training for a marathon, burning fat or simply staying balanced, happy and healthy on a day-to-day basis. Maximizing our potential on a good day can be tough enough as it is, and it’s even more of a challenge during difficult times. However if you want to gain the edge, read Your Potential: 5 Ways to Tap into it During Difficult Times!
1. Know Yourself – Understanding the Brain
Our brains can be our bestie and our worst enemies! A cocktail of chemicals can make you either feel like you could climb Everest or make you feel like you have a mountain on your shoulders.
Feel good chemicals are released into the body when we do something good e.g. exercise but our brains sometimes trick us into making decisions that might be detrimental to our wellbeing, when it’s seeking a quick fix. Having a basic understanding of how these chemicals have an impact on how you feel and your decision-making make a big difference when it comes to achieving your potential.
2. Be Good to Yourself
When the going gets tough it’s easy to retreat to the sofa, flick on a TV show and escape from the world. Too much TV and junk food can cause you to feel lethargic and unmotivated. By all means take a break when needed but all in moderation. Healthy foods, staying hydrated, exercising and getting a good 7-8 hours of sleep will encourage better wellbeing habits.
3. Set Goals
Motivating yourself to achieve anything can be difficult in tough times. Setting a goal will help you focus your mind and give you a sense of control, away from all the noise and mayhem of external things outside of your control. A goal doesn’t have to be learning a new language or remodeling your house to look like something from Grand Designs; it can be as small as growing potatoes to start off with!
4. Gratitude: Take the Wins!
Small achievements soon add up (due to the cosmic law of momentum) and it’s important to celebrate these wins. Every journey starts with a single step and starting can be the hardest part. Celebrating successes is a great way to measure your progress towards goals. It can take some time to reach your goal with small steps but the journey can be just as fun as the destination. As the late great American business philosopher Jim Rohn said: “Make measurable progress in reasonable time.” I don’t think anyone can argue with that logic.
5. Take a Break and Give Yourself some Credit
It can be easy to get carried away, set yourself an ambitious goal, feel psyched to do it and start running towards it at 1,000 miles an hour. You may make a good start but you run the risk of burning out. Take some time to have a break and do something fun.
