You Are Limitless…When You Realize We are All Limitless

Wade Gish
Wade Gish
Aug 24, 2017 · 5 min read
You will never realize your potential until you learn to create opportunities for others to reach theirs as well.

Through a combination of education, experience, and an uncanny ability to blow sunshine all over prospective bosses during interviews, I find myself in a rewarding job in a somewhat stable field (stable being a relative term in a country where we feel like we’re all just one Trump tweet away from fighting stray dogs for banana peels under the porch). It allows me freedom of movement, a liberal amount of autonomous decision making ability, and an income nice enough to comfortably support the undisciplined spending habits of my family of four (that in itself is another story for another day). Yet however comfortable our day to day reality is, inside of us, we all realize weakness. Maybe one, maybe multiple. But we all have our secrets…at least we believe them to be hidden. How else could we be where we are with such weights that we deal with? Perhaps what we consider barriers have played a part in making us “tick”. Maybe someone recognized them and helped us achieve in spite of them. Maybe it’s time to repay that…just in case.

Sometimes when my mind is idle — you know those moments, driving, showering, that 5 minute window between wake and sleep — my subconscious decides to push those things that could limit me to the forefront and make me question everything. A flawed decision making process. A permanent limp from a childhood injury. Inability to focus due to what I’m convinced is an undiagnosed, JAMA-worthy case of adult ADD. I guess I’m one of the fortunate ones, because my fights with the inner demons don’t last long. I’ve become a respected counselor in the world of my inner-self, pretty much able to talk ME into or out of almost anything. I remind myself that I’m doing my best with what has been given to me. I go back over my process of mental inventory and accountability and guarantee that I’m working past what might drive me into the shadows to seek out a comfort zone that doesn’t challenge me — one that limits my ability to grow, thus limiting my impact. This sense of self doesn’t make me superman. It hardly makes me unique. Many or most of you have the same internal conversations and come out on the positive side on a daily basis. Hurrah for us. We’re winners. We’re movers and shakers. But in the words of the old coach, Lee Corso: “Not so fast, my friend…”

On a daily basis, how many people do we encounter who do not successfully deal with inner questions? How many out there struggle because their insecurities and perceived weaknesses become self-fulfilling prophecies? How much talent walks our streets unrecognized because no builder ever invested the time and effort to assemble the raw materials into something formidable/useful/praise-worthy? I watch the news, I drive my car, I walk through the public halls of my workplace, and I encounter people who have needs. Who is asking what they need? Who, at that moment, is actively working to see that this individual is equipped and encouraged to reach their potential? Although we may never have an answer to that question as it applies to their life as a whole, we can have an answer as it applies to that space at that time. It can be me. It can be you. It can be us. It can be our company. It can be our family. We have to start looking at the world through the lense of those that we encounter. Where do they want to go, and how do I help them get there?

As a healthcare professional, I learned to clinically evaluate my patient population thus: “If I only have 5 minutes with this patient, what is the most important thing that I can do for them?” Sometimes the patient would tell me what they perceived to be their most urgent need, and other times (more often that not) the patient couldn’t tell me anything, either because they were completely at a loss for input or they were simply physically unable to interact. These times took a little more effort, because then you are driven to the objective evidence to make decisions: monitor data, lab reports, physical assessments, etc. The point of spending the effort, in either case, is to help guarantee the best outcome for the patient. At some point, this has spilled over into my every day life, not just at the patient bedside. Perhaps because I have transitioned into administration and no longer participate in direct patient care and still need that critical thinking fix. But I see all of my relationships and efforts becoming outcome focused. Effort has to have a goal. And my interaction with people has followed the same line of thinking: “If I only get 5 minutes with this person, how will I impact them positively?”

As we come in contact with others, we need to be doing these simple assessments. Where are they going? What do they want? What can I do to help them accomplish their immediate goal? Don’t assume that because someone looks “together” that they have the situation in hand. People who wear thousand dollar suits and arrived at your location in a luxury SUV can be casting about just as much as the person who looks like they are struggling to make ends meet. Look for opportunities in you day to help someone overcome the things that limit them. Look for ways to help them meet their needs. Some will be immediate — “Can I help you find the location you’re looking for?”, “Can I carry that for you?” Others, among people we know well enough to notice behaviors, may be more durable and require more of an investment — “You seem down today. Is there anything I can help you with?” “I’ve noticed that you are having a hard time communicating with (fill in the blank: co-worker, boss, associate). Would you like me to step in and see if I can relieve some of that tension?” Breaking down barriers to positive outcomes is an investment in people, and our environment, and our world. And, unfortunately, it is a risk/reward proposal. Not 100% of the people will be receptive, but those who do not respond favorably to kindness will be a very small part of the denominator.

Encouragement and investment will lift people past their limits. My boss is possibly the most affirming person I’ve ever met. Her positivity is boundless. When I introduce her in meetings or presentations, I always say “If you were to burn the building down, she would excitedly tell everyone what a good fire starter you were.” Her praise and encouragement make you want to excel. Our world needs more people like us to become more like her. Praise people past their perceived problems. Provide for people who don’t have the means to overcome real problems. Mentor, lead, and challenge. Facilitate and educate. Use the gifts and resources that you have achieved and been blessed with to help others find their gifts. Turn the belief in yourself into a belief in others. Add contagious positivity into their lives. Infect them with something they can’t avoid passing on. Caring what happens to people is not a wasted emotion.

Don’t be limited by your failure to capture the many opportunities for simple outreach that are present in each day.

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Wade Gish
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