I watched an episode of The Diary of a CEO where Steven Bartlett interviews Adam Grant, an organizational psychologist, and asks for his opinion on whether we create our own potential or pursue it. This is a simple but profound question that I thought might be interesting to delve deeper into.
Do we create our potential?
If yes, this would mean that through our daily actions, habits, and our conscious contemplation of our future and goals - we create our own potential. This would imply that our potential is malleable by us, and is therefore limitless. The more effort you put in, the greater your potential will grow. It implies that with consistent effort and motivation, we are able to develop as many abilities as we want.
Anders Ericsson, a psychologist who specializes in researching the psychological nature of expertise and human performance, conducted a study on deliberate practice. He found that the level of performance individuals achieve in many fields is largely a result of focused, deliberate practice over a significant period, rather than innate talent alone. This implies that with enough effort and effective strategies, people can reach high levels of performance in various domains.
Do we pursue our potential?
If yes, this would mean that we cannot create our potential. That our potential is fixed, and it is our job to pursue it. This places an emphasis on our natural abilities and qualities we are born with. It implies that our potential is established from the day we are born. Our fate is written and nothing we can do, say, or wish for, will result in the creation of potential. We have a path called potential that we simply uncover, through daily life, and aim to find and pursue this potential.
Intuitively, we can see how this view may be detrimental in its implication that there is a limit to our potential. It emphasizes the role of genetic, biological, and inherent psychological traits in determining the range and limit of what we can achieve.
Nature vs. nurture
The question of whether we pursue or create our potential directly ties into the nature vs. nurture question, where merely pursuing/uncovering our potential represents the nature argument, and creating our potential through our environment and daily habits represents the nurture side. It raises the question: Are we merely uncovering a predetermined path, or are we creators of our own potential?
Proponents of the nurture viewpoint argue that an individual's development, traits, and potential are primarily shaped by environmental factors, experiences, and learning from the moment of birth onward. Proponents of the nature view argue that while environmental factors, education, and personal effort are crucial, they operate within the boundaries set by innate capabilities.
A personal reflection
Upon hearing this question, I was immediately taken back to a conversation I had years after graduating high school. A friend confided in me that, during our high school years, he saw me as 'wasted potential.' According to him, I had made some questionable choices and was not following the right path (looking back now, I agree). Thinking about it now, his remark reflected his belief that we pursue pre-determined potential. Implicit in his words was the idea that 'wasted potential' represents lost opportunities—potential that, once squandered, cannot be reclaimed or recreated.
Undoubtedly, without some changes I made after high school, I wouldn't be where I am today. The COVID-19 pandemic became a turning point for me, through which I experienced both the pursuit and consequent creation of potential. Distant from distractions, I watched myself discover who I was, and what really interested me. This led me to set specific, meaningful goals. But simply identifying these goals wouldn't have been enough to achieve them or to uncover other, unforeseen objectives.
Concurrently, I watched myself build a consistent routine where I put in daily effort towards not just my goals, but also towards continuous learning and improvement. The combination of discovering my passions and following a disciplined routine daily, resulted in new opportunities emerging in my path, and led me down paths I hadn't anticipated. These opportunities would not have risen if I didn't initially pursue my potential. In this sense, pursuing my potential led me to create new potential. Take this as direct evidence that pursuing your potential can lead to the creation of even more opportunities and unanticipated potential.
I've come to understand that passion, drive, and motivation are significant drivers of achieving desired outcomes, and sometimes even bringing a touch of luck into the mix. This journey has shown me that potential isn't just lying there waiting to be discovered; it's something we actively build and expand through our actions and choices.
The answer
The truth probably lies somewhere in between. I believe we engage in both the creation and pursuit of our potential. I also believe that once we start pursuing our potential, a dynamic comparable to a flywheel effect takes place as our initial efforts and discoveries about ourselves generate momentum, leading to the creation of new potentials that would remain untapped had we decided not to pursue our potential.
While we may be genetically blessed in a certain skill or ability, how far we go and how much we achieve is significantly influenced by the effort we put in. I think the best way to live out your potential and learn about yourself - and ultimately, self-actualize - is to both uncover and create your potential.
Conclusion
It is not strictly one or the other. Rather, it's a dynamic process that includes self-creation, self-discovery, and the pursuit of opportunities that align with our skills, interests, and values.
Find out what it is you're inherently good at.
What you're instinctively passionate about.
Build on these skills and abilities through repeated practice and action. Through consistent learning and development.
Approach everything with a growth mindset. There is nothing that you cannot learn. You are the one placing these fake limits to your potential. Your potential knows no limits.