“..sleep late, have fun, get wild, drink whisky, and drive fast on empty streets with nothing in mind except falling in love and not getting arrested . . . Res ipsa loquitur. Let the good times roll.” ― Hunter S. Thompson

Harsh reality:

We’re all wasting our potential. At least to some extent.

It’s likely that we’re all not living like the Good Doctor, Mr Thompson. Not many of us can (a rough and rugged life filled with intense drug and booze binges sounds awfully tiring), and that’s okay.

GET IN.

Somewhere along the line our potential got snipped off just a bit. 5 or 10% maybe. Not much, but a bit of potential remains hidden behind our egos. Honestly, I’m scared to let it all out. I’m terrified of what type of wild ride my whole self has in store if I let that rowdy pony out of its stable.

I’m wasting some potential and I’m okay with it. That 10% that gets left behind, bottled up and full of fury, it builds a lump in the back of my throat (even as I write this) and shouts at me,

So I respond, ‘Oh I’ll take the ride.’ and push myself a little further. Stretch myself a little thinner. Force my consciousness to expand just a little beyond its comfort zone. I’ve increased my potential by doing so, if only by a few points, but potential is not static. There is still that 10% reserved, shouting, calling me out. Begging me to let it loose.

That potential 10% will always be there – very few of us will let it run free – but does that matter? It still exists. It’s still fighting to get out. It’s still pushing me to do more. That 10% still creates a fire that burns furiously within.

So how do you ignite yours? How do you set that 10% on fire so you’re motivated by it and encouraged to push your own limits?

Here’s a story with an answer:

January of 2011 I went to Turks and Caicos (traveling is a big part of this life I never want to leave) with my family and Future Wife. While there, my little sisters wanted to ride horses along the beach. I got the horse with a bad temper. My horse hated being behind another horse and I had to constantly steer it toward the water to keep it from blasting down the beach at full speed.

Why didn’t I let that beast run like it was just shot out of a cannon? The clear answer is that I was scared. I didn’t know what would happen or if I’d ever be able to bring the raging stallion back under my control. In spite of this, I look back on this moment and wish that I had just let that beautiful monster stretch its legs.

My 10% held me back – but it also reminds me to push myself harder. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter that we are wasting a small amount of potential (as long as it’s a small amount) or being slightly restricted due to fear. If we look back on those moments with a shred of regret, we will be constantly reminded to push ourselves forward.

If you can recall a time when fear got the best of you, you can use that to as fuel to propel yourself forward. It’s okay to remember the ‘what if’ moments because you can use them to enable huge steps.

Push yourself. There’s more.

What mental motivators do you use to push yourself beyond your comfort zone?

Hunter S Thompson stamp was drawn by Richie Brown and licensed under the Creative Commons Commercial Use License. See more of Richie’s artwork here.