Stop Leading & Learning the Hard Way

Turn this one thing OFF & turn this one thing ON

You & I both have piles of potential. We have this abundance of unspecified potential re: everything we could be in our lifetime. But none of it is real, until we realize it. Accelerating that realization of potential is a lot easier when we 1) learn to turn off autofocus and 2) learn to turn on the multiplier effect of social learning (i.e., relationship, environment). Life, in general, is a lot easier when we learn faster — it helps reduce a lot of the unnecessary suffering. #MORElearningLESStrauma

Some of us are in love with the mystery of potential, focusing on the self-authored eventuality of what might be.

Some of us love the reliability of the past, focusing on the story of “what once was” and the nostalgia of our past accomplishments.

Some of us are just trying to get through this season, hoping for the best, letting “fate” and socially-defined pressures and inertia decide what we focus on.

Either way, it’s a matter of focus.

POTENTIAL IS A BET ON SOMETHING EVEN “BETTER”

“Some people argue that only rational, autonomous, and self-conscious beings deserve full and equal moral status…because these beings are the only ones capable of attaining certain (appreciating) values and goods; a being must be able to conceive of itself as one among many, and must be able to choose their actions rather than be led by blind instinct (Cf. Francis and Norman, 1978; Steinbock, 1978).”

Said differently, and a little less controversially, some people claim that it makes sense to value human life (above other kinds of life) based on its potential — its capacity to grow/become something better, in the future.

We bet on relationships, jobs, communities and energy sources that we believe possess real potential. We surround ourselves with many forms of external potential. Why? Because that external potential, by association, can help us boost our own sense of self-worth and fuel our accomplishments. Allen Faulton author of the Modern Survival Guide writes that “Someone with potential can do big things, which puts them in a position of even more potential…potential and…