Years ago, I wrote a sentence that has remerged and ignited something in me. 

All thanks to a stranger on the internet highlighting the line on my Medium post.

I have a deeper understanding of the line, and honestly, its undiscovered layers scare and frustrate me. I’m living in this bizarre juxtaposition of comprehension and not knowing it at all. 

When you connect and take consistent action toward your life calling, life’s task, personal legend, or whatever you’d like to call it, you experience a sheer adulterated beauty. 

It’s the beauty of expansion in the pursuit of mastery. 

My life calling is the expression of ideas through writing and speaking. So when a line I wrote years ago resurfaces and sparks me, I can’t leave it alone; I have to ask what I may have missed.

Is there more to discover? In this case, there is, but I’m struggling to access it.

Here’s the line that’s sparked me and vexes me:

The level of regret we experience at the end of our lives is directly proportional to the amount of our potential we leave on the table. 

What vexes me is the word potential. It’s overused and, I believe, misunderstood, but that doesn’t diminish its importance.

I realized I haven’t defined potential for myself, and that’s where I’m stuck. 

I used to think, up until about 2 seconds ago (one of the reasons I love to write is the discovery of thoughts and understanding that I may have been wrong that occurs in real-time), that potential was a function of challenging ourselves and, as cliche as it is, moving out of our comfort zone. 

And that’s absolutely a part of it, but it’s superficial at best. 

I remember a lesson learned after years of chasing a superficial lifestyle when I settled for breadcrumbs and fooled myself into thinking they were the entire meal.  

Remarkable lives don’t settle for breadcrumbs. 

For Example:

Let’s say I decide to swim with sharks because I see others doing it, and I want to emulate them. I will have done something that scares me, and I’ll access more of my potential, but the intention behind my actions isn’t authentic. 

It would be predicated on an expectation of an outcome. In this case, the result is that I’d be hoping to fit in a box that others accept. 

I’d follow someone else’s blueprint and settle for superficial potential only.

If I went swimming with sharks because it’s something I genuinely want to do (it is) with no external expectation attached, I’d be acting authentically; I’d be living from within.

Our full potential is our authenticity unleashed. 

It’s our willingness to be seen and heard for who we are at our core. It’s our willingness to peel back layer after layer in pursuit of our truth and then express that truth unabashedly through our actions. 

Words without action are merely air, and actions without intention are hollow. 

This brings me back to the beauty of living our life calling. We’re journeying toward our truths and authentic selves when we connect, create, and contribute to our life calling. 

Two voices are speaking in my head as I write this; one is telling me this makes no sense, won’t fit in any book I’m writing or on social media, and is intellectual masturbation at best. 

The other voice tells me to keep going; I’m accessing something vital to me and the life I want. It’s telling me there’s still more to uncover.

One voice makes me feel like crap; the other voice breathes lightness into my being. Which of the two has my best interest at heart?

So, I like the original line as a starting point,

The level of regret we experience at the end of our lives is directly proportional to the amount of our potential we leave on the table. 

But the more accurate expression of it is this,

The level of regret we experience at the end of our lives is directly proportional to our willingness to live authentically. 

So, for me to access this level of potential means, I must share what I’ve written despite the other voice telling me it’s intellectual masturbation at best. 

Not to receive applause, likes, or accolades, but because it’s what I believe now, and sharing it scares me. 

And that’s how I authentically unleash my potential. 

📣 If you’re ready to stand in your power, and unleash your potential the Midlife Mastery Program is for you. Schedule your free call here.