4 Habits That Can Stop You From Reaching Your Full Potential

Photo by Roberto Sorin on Unsplash

We all want to become the best at something. We want to achieve a certain level of dexterity that allows us to produce our best work and feel fulfilled.

Reaching our full potential is an innate urge. It’s a desire for self-actualization fueled by the belief that we all have the potential to achieve unprecedented levels of expertise in our chosen fields.

However, certain habits impede our progress and obstruct our pursuit.

Here are four habits that can ensnare even the most aspiring people.

Untimely Complacency

Complacency is one of the most potent drawbacks to reaching our full potential.

Some people worked tirelessly to develop their skills to a certain level. When they finally taste some success, they drop the ball and become complacent.

This untimely sense of comfort and satisfaction with the status quo limits them from pushing themselves to grow, learn, and achieve more.

People who become experts in any field commit to steady growth and learning by asking themselves, “What else can I do to improve.”

Mastery is not a destination; it’s a journey.

The most accomplished people never settle. They know there’s always something to learn and greater skills to be developed.

When you choose what you want to be an expert in, stay on that path and keep climbing the curve of excellence.

Make no mistake, this curve is not a straight line; it’s a winding, unpredictable path. There will be plateaus where progress seems stagnant, and there will be breakthroughs that propel you to new heights.

But, as author, Daniel Pink points out in his book “Drive,” you must keep going. You must get really, really close to it.

“The mastery asymptote is a source of frustration. Why reach for something you can never fully attain? But it’s also a source of allure. Why not reach for it? The Joy is in the pursuit more than the realization.” — Daniel Pink

The point is to have the ideal of mastery in mind. It serves as a guiding light and reminds you of the level of excellence you can aim…