GENERATION ‘US’
BY TOM MATT
Power of potential Unlock your creativity to unleash a new mindset
T
o reach my own personal potential I had to do some ‘self-checking’. By that I mean looking deep within, really and honestly. Having a conversation with myself was the first step. The status quo had to basically GO! Unfortunately, many people are held back by limiting beliefs, fears and doubts related to their potential. I know I was! Consequently, the power of potential was the lazy horse ready to gallop. I learned, through therapy and getting sober, that potential necessitates discipline, attention and commitment to bring it to life. I needed to find a few internal behaviors and nurture them. First was becoming accountable for my own actions.
“One isn’t necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can’t be kind, true, honest.” – Maya Angelou Accountability is a noun that describes accepting responsibility, and it can be personal or very public. A government has accountability for decisions and laws affecting its citizens; an individual has accountability for acts and behaviors. Sometimes, though, taking accountability means admitting you made a mistake. Next, I needed to become creative in my thinking and actions. The same old Tom was not going to cut it. Being creative means taking risks, ignoring doubt and facing fears. It means breaking with routine and doing something different for the sake of doing something different. It means mapping out a thousand different
46
www.healthyandfitmagazine.com
routes to reach one destination. It means challenging yourself every day. Following that I opened my mind to the potential of becoming more curious. What is out there? Curiosity is the urge you feel to know more about something. ... Curiosity is the state of being curious: inquisitive, wondering, ready to poke around and figure something out. The word used to mean “very, very careful,” and only in the last few hundred years turned into a word expressing the desire to know more. Lastly, I needed to find my balance, in everything. Understanding how my brain worked, thanks to counseling and an empathetic doctor, helped me to understand that having a compulsive mindset was my way of thinking. That if I challenged myself to channel my compulsiveness, I could find a balanced way of thinking, doing, loving and living.
Having the right amount — not too much or too little — of any quality, leads to harmony and evenness. Add these key words to your day- • DREAMS • OVERCOMING FEAR • SOUL • SUBCONSCIOUS MIND • SUCCESS • THOUGHTS Tom Matt is the host of the “Tom Matt Show,” a radio talk show syndicated in Michigan on the Michigan Talk Network. He can be heard locally Saturday mornings on the ‘Big Talker’ WJIM 1240 AM. For more info please visit www.boomersrock.us
