Potential

Intro by Skip Cohen

Today’s post is very different from a lot of the topics we’ve been sharing in the Marathon blog, but Beverly Walden makes such a terrific point. We all have moments where we’re caught up in the fear of trying something new. Instead of going full steam ahead, we back off. So often we miss an opportunity to grow.

There are a couple of great quotes to keep in the back of your mind as your read Beverly’s post.

“Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors“

African Proverb

“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone!”

Neale Donald Walsch

Don’t let fear stand in the way of your dreams. We’ve all got untapped potential just waiting to be put into action and this post really hit home for me on so many different levels.

By Beverly Walden

Rick Sorenson, a man I was reading about recently, tells of the day he decided to plunge headlong into the riptide of life. His moment of truth arrived when he saw himself dead and buried. On the tombstone, six feet above him appeared these tragic words: He Had Potential.

Potential generally refers to a currently unrealized ability.
As I sit and ponder what makes us tick, what keeps us going and why we are so busy with new ideas and projects 24/7, I think it is striving to reach our potential.

It’s kind of like the carrot on the end of the stick, dangling in front of the horse. We are going after the carrot! It’s keeping us young:-)
Tim often tells the story of his dad who was paralyzed from a slipped disk when Tim was 6 years old. After many surgeries and a year in the hospital and rehab, he had resigned himself to being bedridden the rest of his life.

At the time of his accident, he was working as a civilian for the Army Depot here in Lexington, and a Colonel who had a daughter getting married called and asked him to shoot the wedding. Pausing before answering, Tim’s dad politely told him he could not do anything like that. After all, he was barely in a wheelchair, mostly in bed and still in rehab.

As the story goes, the Colonel insisted and finally told Tim’s dad it was an order! So…he worked on his mobility and did the wedding. After that wedding, he shot nearly 1000 more with Tim’s help.

He had not realized his POTENTIAL before the Colonel’s request and once he did, he had a long and successful career as a wedding and portrait photographer, earning his Craftsman, Master and Artist degrees from PPA, starting Walden’s Photography and mentoring many young photographers along the way.

Living up to our full potential is not trying to avoid making mistakes. It’s giving it our all, wholeheartedly, with all we’ve got.


Every day, on your way to work, make the decision to give it your all. Don’t let FEAR (Fails Evidence Altering Reality) stop you from reaching your potential! Yes, we will make mistakes. But we must learn from our mistakes, be willing to change our course and set sail for distant waters where possibilities lie in wait for us.