Tapping Into Your Potential
3 minute 41 second reading time
When we think about success, performance, and resilience, well-being often feels like an afterthought. For years, we put all the emphasis on high performance and productivity while treating 'well-being' as a 'nice to have' rather than a critical component. Yet, the more we learn about neuroscience, the more obvious it becomes that well-being is actually the foundation upon which true high performance is built.
This shift in thinking is crucial—not just for individuals but for businesses too. Well-being is no longer an HR initiative; it's a business imperative.
In my journey to explore this, I was inspired to write Unashamedly Superhuman, a book that dives into how we can tap into the deep reserves of potential we all have within us. It's not about feeling like a superhero—most of us don't wake up thinking we're superhuman. But it is about realising that our human capacity is far more remarkable than we often give it credit for. How do we access this potential when it counts the most?
Let's break it down into three key areas that can dramatically shift our performance: potential, mindset, and resilience. These three areas are often discussed but rarely approached with a clear process. Let's explore how we can bring structure and strategy to these concepts to unlock what's truly possible.
When I ask people how much of their potential they feel they're tapping into, the answers are often surprisingly low. Numbers like 50%, 60%, or 70% pop up—but no one ever says 100%. We all intuitively feel like we could access more and more to be had. But how do we get there?
It's a bit like raising your arm as high as you can, and then, when prompted, you can still manage to go a bit higher. There's always something more. The trick is making that extra effort tangible. How do we access that extra capacity, that reserve of potential that sits just beyond where we think our limits are?
Mindset is the lens through which we approach any situation. It's not about being positive or negative—rather, it's about identifying the optimum mindset for the specific task at hand. Take, for example, a parachute jump. On the ground, as you check your equipment, a pessimistic mindset might be the best approach. You want to be sceptical and thorough, making sure everything is in order. But once you're up in the air, optimism becomes more useful. After all, you need to believe that everything will work in order to actually jump out of the plane!
This shift in mindset is critical in high-stakes situations. We may have the skills and competencies to perform, but can we access them when it really matters? Mindset is about unlocking performance by aligning our thinking with the demands of the situation.
When we talk about resilience, it's often connected to toughness—toughing it out through adversity. But resilience can also be about reframing the challenges we face so they feel more manageable. It's about raising our threshold for stress and approaching difficult situations with a mindset that helps us navigate them more effectively.
We don't necessarily need to build more toughness; we need to cultivate a mindset that makes challenges seem less overwhelming. This reframing can raise our resilience without us even realising it.
Let's start with "better." But instead of focusing on improving performance, what if we simply focus on feeling better? How we feel—calm, confident, or stressed—can impact how we approach challenges. Studies show that our mood affects our cognitive function and performance. But here's the good news: we have agency over our mood. While we can't always control our circumstances, we can control how we respond to them.
The power of synchronisation—whether it's through singing in a choir or synergising around a shared story or goal—can trigger neurochemicals like dopamine and serotonin that help shift our mood in positive ways. It's a fascinating way to tap into that better feeling and unlock more potential.
A simple yet powerful mindset hack involves aligning your identity with your goals. I once spoke to a woman training for a marathon who said, "I'm no athlete." Yet she was training five days a week, buying all the gear, and reading about running—just like any marathon runner would. By simply starting to tell herself, "I am a marathon runner," she began to shift her mindset. Her self-talk aligned with her actions, making the goal of running a marathon feel more natural and achievable.
This identity alignment is crucial. When our beliefs connect with our goals, everything starts to feel congruent and within reach.
Resilience isn't just about toughing things out. It's about creating mental frameworks that help us manage stress better. Studies have shown that when we engage in activities that challenge us, our brain physically changes—specifically, the anterior midcingulate cortex, which is linked to willpower, grows. So when we push ourselves to do things we don't want to do, we're literally building our capacity for resilience.
It's not about seeking out hardship for the sake of it but recognising that life will present challenges. When we reframe these challenges as opportunities for growth, we naturally become more resilient.
Finally, consider adopting what psychologists call the "adventure mindset." When we think of an adventure, we don't just think of the exciting parts—we also anticipate risks, challenges, and the unknown. And that's okay, because it's all part of the experience. Life's challenges are what allow us to grow, learn, and develop the skills we need to succeed. The value of an adventure isn't in the outcome; it's in the journey itself.
So, as you navigate your own path—whether it's in your career, personal life, or business—remember that potential, mindset, and resilience aren't abstract ideas. They are processes we can tap into, refine, and strengthen. And they're all part of the grand adventure that leads to growth.
Jim Steele is author of “Unashamedly Superhuman” (Wiley 2023), the founder of Holistic Performance Lab and a renowned catalyst in the field of transformational behavioural change. For over three decades, he has been sought after by organisations globally for his expertise in integrating empowered wellbeing with human performance, particularly for business leaders and high-potential teams. Through engaging events and strategic workshops, Jim advocates for making wellbeing a core priority, fostering resilient workforces that drive exceptional results.
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