Why Potential Beats Plan

Want to see what you are truly capable of?

Try substituting the word “plan” with this word…

“Potential.”

I’ve long been fascinated in human potential, be it through my own experiences in business working with brilliant minds in industry giants, or in sport, running ultra distances just to see what’s possible for mind, body and spirit.

Google the definition of potential and a lot of phrases will look underwhelmingly something like this: “the possibility of something happening or of someone doing something in the future”.

But, to inject a bit of excitement and challenge, I like to look at it more simply by using this phrase:

“Existing in possibility”.

And, to take this a step further, unless you can irrefutably prove that something does not exist in possibility, then you have the potential to achieve absolutely anything in life, professional or personal.

Because it exists in possibility.

So, I come back to the challenge above, what if you crossed out the word “plan” and used the word “potential” instead?

Don’t write a business plan, write a business potential.

Don’t calculate a financial plan, calculate a financial potential.

Don’t improve an employee’s performance by developing a personal development plan, see what they could grow into by co-authoring a personal development potential.

And yes, perhaps even don’t theoreticise around a 5-year relationship plan, but work with your partner to dream up a 5-year relationship potential.

Do this, and then ask yourself if the scale of what you can achieve is bigger than what you first thought.

Can you now start to see what you are capable of?