The Difference Between Ability and Potential

Over the last few weeks, we have look at such topics as; Starting something new, Personal Identity and Searching for meaning. All aimed at helping your personal or professional lives, reducing daily stress and improve productivity.

This week is designed to help you identify the difference between, ability and potential. Everybody would want to be able to say, they give their all to every task and achieve the highest level of potential. Put one hundred percent in, get one hundred percent back.

However, unfortunately, we can not be a 10 out of 10 at everything we do. This is not to say the amount of effort you give, is not 100%. Realistically, there is a cap on how high you will score on all tasks you attempt, similar to the ceiling price when selling a house. Let us pick some typical tasks, which we could all give a current score on Ability vs Potential;

1) Keeping on top of the jobs at home.

2) Adding value to your workplace or business.

3) Keeping fit and healthy.

4) Staying in touch with friends and family.

Just four everyday things we should all be doing, would you not agree?

John C. Maxwell in his book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws Of Leadership and the opening chapter on Law of the Lid. Refers to an individual being at a lower score and, moving higher to reach their potential. Now, John is not suggesting everybody can get to a 10, this is more a case of helping you recognise there is room for improvement. "Ability is the lid which sets an individuals level of effectiveness. Lower ability, equals lower potential and, higher ability means a higher lid plus potential." Therefore, if you can recognise you have more potential at something, yet your current ability is lower. This helps bring a focus on to the task you can and should put more effort into.

So as with all the previous newsletters, I will give a personal example on the subject, which aims to help you think of an ability you might like to improve on and, get closer to your potential.

Going back to my time at school, my teachers all saw there was ability hidden deep inside. Actually, it was not very deep, I just did not see it as something which I had to work on, due to being in all the top sets. Until I got into Year 9 (this is the third year of Secondary School for those non-UK based readers). Now for me, my potential was not matched by ability and so grades started to slip. However, like all of us, I was able to put this down to a rubbish made up excuses. "I am more creative and artist, than academic". This one is used, as it was something I hid behind for years and years, until the time for change was needed and I got out from behind my shield. From the age of 16 I carried this shield around, not to defend myself from anybody else, it was blocking fears I had of leaving my comfort zone towards learning and, reaching my academic potential. Since putting it down, I have gone on to gain an Undergraduate Degree and MSc, my book collection is now in the hundreds, I am able to approach things in a more pragmatic way, deal with circumstances Proactively and less Reactively.

By shedding a fear I had produced, from not applying more effort into the ability and, move closer to the potential. A ripple effect has happened with other tasks in my life, improving them, their ability and potential.

Do not make this mistake though!! Yes, you can improve the Lid on a certain ability, this has been proven by my personal example. However, if you do not stay on top of your other daily abilities, their potential will start to slide down the scale. So do not allow yourself to become blinkered by your goal of improving a single Lid, which will be covered in future newsletters, when we explore Time Management.

Bringing a close to this weeks newsletter, which I hope you found useful, inspiring and thought provoking. Please feel free to leave examples of the things which you aim to improve on, the scores you currently sit at and the potential it will become. Also, check out our website at, www.activelisteningforwellbeing.com, to see a list of programmes we offer. Including Stress Management, Positive Communication and Reflective Practice. Look forward to writing next weeks newsletter, do not forget to Subscribe to stay update and, share with your contacts who you feel would benefit from our weekly newsletter.