Two Ways to Unlock Your Potential

The idea of value and purpose is linked to the concept of discovering a greater good, a mission, or a higher calling. Most people know the story of Mahatma Gandhi. But most people only know his story after he became a prominent figure. He was born into a middle class family. He had low self-esteem that made him reluctant to interact with others. Gandhi’s life changed one day while riding on a train in South Africa in the first-class section. Because of his dark skin, he was forced to move to a freight car. He refused, and they kicked him off the train. It was then he realized he was afraid of challenging authority, but that he suddenly wanted to help others overcome discrimination if he could. He created a new vision for himself that had value and purpose.

Some people find their value and purpose in their spiritual faith. I am one of those. Before I became a Christian at age forty-five, I was firmly entrenched in acceptable mediocrity. By that I mean I was doing some good things and was impacting a number of people’s lives, but in truth I was broke and in debt. I had a general vision about what I wanted, but the depth of value and purpose was missing. I was doing things because I wanted to do them, and I wanted the results to be for me. After I accepted Christ, I suddenly had a higher purpose and new values. I wanted to help others be all they could be, and I wanted it solely for their happiness and peace—not mine. You might say old Zig became “others-centered” rather than “self-centered.”

When that new sense of value and purpose took over my mind and my heart, I began to have success beyond my wildest dreams. I think I felt much the way Gandhi felt when they kicked him off the train. I could now see that my efforts up to that point had been based on the wrong things and why the results I was getting were less than spectacular. When I changed my focus, I changed my motives, and that is when I began my “new career.” Shortly after that conversion experience I wrote my signature book, See You at the Top, and I haven’t had to solicit a speaking engagement since. For the past forty years my vision of wanting to be a difference-maker and an encourager in the lives of others, and to help people reach their full potential, has pulled me forward with a laser-like focus. I never forget the value and purpose of what I do, and that is what keeps me going . . . I love what I do.

If you are ready to unlock your potential you need to discover your vision and purpose. What will motivate you to strive for your goals? What gives your life meaning? Reach for those activities that drive you towards a greater good. When you do that you are truly living out your destiny as the winner you were born to be.