The “SECRET SHTUFF” is in ourselves

“Hey coach, listen. You got any more of that secret shtuff? I think it's starting to wear off.”

In a scene from the movie, “Space Jam” (1996), an animated Daffy Duck asks arguably the most famous basketball player alive whether there’s anymore “secret shtuff” for his teammates. The team has been beaten badly in the first half of the game, and in order to win, they want more of the “magic” tonic that Jordan hands them out earlier.

The magic though, is plain water, and Michael Jordan confesses the truth. The team wins in the end after all. The difference is, now they know that the magic is within them, in their ability to reach their potential.

‘Reach Your Potential’, it is an ability that we all possess, all we need is the courage and confidence to dredge up.

Though born with infinite potential, we still take the rest of our lives to realize that potential and bring it to fruition. We live in a world full of great thinkers and ideas, but with very few doers, and fewer still who truly achieve greatness. Success lies in answering that call to action which is represented in the potential that lives within us, so discover your potential. A swig of that “secret shtuff” – COURAGE – and off you’ll go on your way to success. Imagination alone cannot help; you need the power of EXECUTION. 

During my younger years, just like most of us I had a notion to make it big someday. With time I realized dreamers usually don’t make it big, and I needed an execution strategy to achieve my ever-changing goals. I had what it takes to ‘reach your potential’, I had the wits, and all I would require is to essentially walk the talk – or rather, answer that call and put it in action.

But, somewhere along the lines I became conscious of the understanding that realizing one’s potential is a lifelong journey, accelerated via introspection, contemplation, and meditation. A Goal thus, is not an endpoint, but a new beginning, a rest stop, or a milestone, that keeps changing. It is like seeking the midpoint of a vast unmapped ocean. We move towards it, but we’re never quite sure we’re there yet. Where we are can be good enough, but there’s always the potential of something better out there.

Whenever I am in India, I often spend time at the Kanha Shanti Vanam Ashram in Hyderabad. It’s simply rejuvenating, as I get the opportunity for introspection to reintroduce and contemplate my life which enjoy more than anything else.

On one sunny afternoon, I was walking down the ashram road, and came across a sign from a dog training company on a lawn, that mentioned an invisible fence. I became curious, and instantly Googled it, and learned of a system that sets an undetectable perimeter that the dog can’t get across. Over time, the fence acts as a conditioning tool that teaches the dog to never cross that boundary even when the fence isn’t active. The dog sets up imaginary limits that regulates its reality.

As we grow to adulthood and beyond, we become saddled with negative beliefs, assumptions and set up our own limitations. These become our invisible fences. We start believing they are real and whenever we come across them, we hide away. Meditation has helped me identify my invisible fences and some ways to overcome them. I would like to encourage you to sometimes choose the path less traveled; you never know what potential you may discover in YOURSELF.

In Julius Caesar, Shakespeare has the line that “The fault lies not in our stars, but in ourselves that we are underlings.” What he means is, we become what we believe we are.

These sets of beliefs have been central in shaping my own leadership style, helped me to answer the key question ‘how to find your potential’, and I have experienced a great deal of success in building a conscious alignment to ‘reach your potential’ within my life. …Through my active involvement in Heartfulness, I have also invested time and effort, helping others to internalize and practice these core visions. “To be successful, your visions and your actions should be directly proportional to each other.” What the quote means is that if you have really good thoughts but you don’t do anything about them, then you are probably daydreaming and if you act without thinking then you may get into trouble.

But above all, believe that you are worthy and deserve abundant success. The universe is always listening, and your law of attraction will work for you. Believe in who you are and become whoever you want to be.

Believe in yourself, and that’s all the “secret shtuff” you’ll ever need to win at that game of life.