3 Tips to Live at Your Full Potential, Instead of Your Full Capacity
"I'm tired. I'm exhausted. I'm burnt out. Am I doing enough?" It's a question many of us ask ourselves. I hear it from my clients, too. But is it the right question to be asked to assess success in life?
Living at capacity is not living at your full potential; capacity means working as hard and as long as possible even if it doesn't make sense for your own needs, schedule, or goals. Full capacity means that you're using up all of your resources, not that you’re doing the right things…
Success is not about working as hard as possible all the time. It's not about being busy, and it's not about filling up your calendar so you can check off "done" for the day/week/month. Yet, this is how many people go through their lives—always trying to get to the end of a to-do list that keeps getting longer.
Success comes when we're living our full potential, which means doing things that make us happy and using our gifts and talents. For creative generalists (multi-passionate creatives) especially, because of the many interests and ideas we have, this can be challenging. Because we're fast learners and good at many things, it's easy for us to fall into the trap of busyness instead of doing work that matters to us.
Besides the daily grind, many reasons can get you stuck working at full capacity. Here are the four most common ones:
You're a perfectionist
Perfectionism is the number one reason people get stuck working at full capacity. They want everything to be perfect before they can move on, which means they spend more time than necessary on tasks and end up never finishing anything. If you're a perfectionist, it's essential to learn to let go and move on.
You're a people pleaser
People pleasers tend to overcommit themselves because they don't want to let others down. They say "yes" to everything, even sacrificing their own time and energy. As a result, they end up feeling overwhelmed and stressed out. If you're a people pleaser, it's essential to learn to set boundaries and say "no" when necessary.
You're a control freak
Control freaks want to be in charge of everything, which means they have difficulty delegating tasks or asking for help. As a result, they do more than they need to and burn themselves out. If you're a control freak, it's essential to learn to stop micromanaging and allow others to help you.
You're a procrastinator
If you're a procrastinator, it's essential to learn to manage your time better and start tasks sooner. Procrastinators tend to put off tasks until the last minute, creating unnecessary stress and pressure. They often work better under pressure, but this isn't sustainable in the long run. If you’re a procrastinator, lower the bar to the point that even you can’t make excuses anymore.
So, how can you shift from living at full capacity to living at your full potential?
Here are three tips:
Get clear on your values and what makes you happy.
Knowing what's important to you makes it easier to make decisions that align with those values. And when you're doing things that make you happy, you're more likely to be in a flow state, which is when we're most productive.
Simplify your life and schedule.
Remove any activity that isn't helping you to be happy or successful (yes, that probably means a big chunk of what you're currently doing on the daily). When you have more free time, use it to do things that bring you joy or work on your passion projects.
Set boundaries and say "no" more often.
This is probably the most important one. When you have clear boundaries, you can say no to the things that don't align with your values and goals. This allows you to focus your time and energy on the truly important things to you.
Living at full potential doesn't mean you have to do more; it just means you have to do things that align with your values and make you happy. This might mean that if you're a creative generalist or an entrepreneur, you will need to figure out what a unique career path might look like. Because when you're clear on what those things are, it's much easier to focus your time and energy on them.
If you feel exhausted and burnt out, ask yourself if you're living at full capacity or full potential. If it's full capacity, make some changes so you can start living at your full potential.
Feeling lost and uncertain about your career?
You're not alone. A lot of people feel this way at some point in their lives. That's why I offer coaching to help you find your way.
I can help you get unstuck and move forward in your career. Together, we can figure out what's holding you back and create a plan to overcome it. Coaching is an investment in yourself – and it will pay off big time.
