We all have doubts about different things. It’s not the doubts that hold us back, it’s the response to those doubts.
Some people live their doubts and wonder “What if?” Others wonder “What if?” and then give it a try.
I know I have responded in both ways. I firmly believe everyone has more potential. How do I know? Because I know that I have more potential in me. Every time I put myself in a position where more must come out, more does.
When people first learn that I graduated as a chemical engineer, they frequently think that I must be really smart. Let’s just say that I worked hard, but I wasn’t as strong of an A student as I was in high school, and I wasn’t a C student, like General Colin Powell. But neither am I a successful quitter like Steve Jobs, Michael Dell, Mark Zuckerberg, or Evan Williams (I had to look him up. He is from Clarks, Nebraska, and built Twitter).
My only goal, ever, was to be the best that I could be—period. Many of us graduate and are ready to tackle the world. But the world is big, bad, and often ugly. It beats us down. We either figure out where our best attack is or we learn to “settle.” My wife has believed in me most of my life (we met when we were 15), and for that, I am forever grateful.
For a while, I worked on a business degree, planning to get an MBA. However, school was taking a significant amount of time, I didn’t know if the degree was going to help me in my current career (i.e., no purpose), and I was missing out as a parent. I stopped, but I knew there was something more. I believed in my potential, and I was still searching for more.
At this time, I had about a dozen years under my belt working for a global manufacturing company. But I was not completely fulfilled. I was making decent money, but the rewards did not match my accomplishments. I wanted to make a difference in ways that truly mattered. I believed in myself and my potential. More than that, I was searching for ways to help more people with their potential.
Then, my wife brought home some information about becoming a lay pastor. That led to the next best dozen years of my life (up to now!). When that time needed to end, I began searching for the next growth opportunity. As a lay pastor, I was commissioned to perform weddings only through the church with whom I was connected. And since I was no longer there, I was no longer allowed to do weddings. Well, I was no longer commissioned to do weddings through this particular faith operating community. When some close friends asked me to marry them, I needed some new credentials. Did you know you can go online to become an Ordained Christian Minister and perform marriages? I counseled the young couple and did the ceremony in one of Lincoln’s biggest churches. It was an honor and a privilege to serve God, this couple, and these families. I believe in this couple and their potential. Additionally, I still fill the pulpit, looking for ways to encourage and even to inspire people to be the person that God designed them to be.
Currently, my wife and I have the best opportunities to value people, believe in them, and help them achieve their potential. We serve as John Maxwell-certified leadership trainers, under our own business name of Leadership Harbor. She gets to do this full time, while I also serve in my engineering role. The exciting part for me is that the mastermind groups that I began with my own team have led to more masterminds with salaried staff at the manufacturing company, and recently with production staff as well. Additionally, the leadership that I practiced led to a new, exciting entrepreneurial opportunity.
Leadership Harbor recognizes that everyone has more potential. Some are empowered when they recognize that someone else believes in them. And others find it easier to believe the doubts about themselves. We cannot change your thinking, but we do introduce you to your potential.
We absolutely love helping people, churches, nonprofits, and businesses activate their greater potential. Better yet, we believe in you and your potential! Give us a call and let’s talk. Bring along your potential, and we’ll help you unlock it!
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