Achieving Our Full Potential

Ross Berry
May 16
9 min read

Stretching To Be the Very Best!

'Karen and Jay share thoughts on the excitement of striving to achieve your full potential!'

It’s easy to get used to doing things the way we have always done them. To get lulled into mediocrity. And there’s a certain comfort in that. However, have you ever wondered – ‘what’s my full potential?’ What could I or my organization achieve if we really put our minds to it? Put our full energies and excitement into being our very best?

These are the questions that inspire us to stretch to achieve our full potential. On the one hand, taking a step back – casting long held beliefs aside and starting with a blank slate, can be a refreshing moment – and give us newfound excitement. On the other hand, it can be truly scary – as we contemplate efforts and initiatives that take us far outside the bounds of our comfort zone.

It is in this delicate balance between excitement and fear that growth truly happens. When we allow ourselves to embrace the discomfort of the unknown, we unlock capabilities we may never have realized we possessed. Every new challenge becomes an opportunity to test our resilience, learn something new, and move closer to the version of ourselves that we aspire to be. Growth rarely comes from repetition; it comes from the willingness to take risks and step into unfamiliar territory.

Of course, the path toward achieving our full potential isn’t always linear or smooth. There will be setbacks, moments of self-doubt, and times when we question if it’s even worth it. But it is precisely in pushing through those hard moments that we develop grit and character. The strength we gain along the way becomes the very foundation upon which our future successes are built.

Sometimes, achieving our full potential also requires us to reimagine what is possible. It demands a mindset shift—from "This is how things are done" to "What if we tried something entirely new?" That shift can lead to breakthroughs, innovations, and transformations that once seemed out of reach. This kind of thinking not only benefits us individually but can also catalyze significant progress within our teams, our organizations, and our communities.

Ultimately, pursuing our full potential is a lifelong journey. It asks us to be brave, to be curious, and to keep striving even when the road ahead is uncertain. It is a commitment to continuous improvement and to becoming the most fulfilled, capable, and impactful version of ourselves. And while the journey may be challenging, the rewards of living up to our true potential are immeasurable. Please give it your very best shot! You’ll be glad you did!

Feats of Unbelievable Strength – Truly Amazing!

Feats of unbelievable strength offer some of the most compelling and dramatic examples of tapping into our full human potential. Really incredible. Stories abound of ordinary individuals performing seemingly superhuman acts when faced with life-or-death situations. One famous example is Angela Cavallo, a woman from Georgia who, in 1982, lifted a 3,500-pound car off her son after it had fallen on him while he worked beneath it. Such accounts, while rare, continue to captivate our imagination and challenge our understanding of human limits.

These instances are often described as examples of "hysterical strength"—a sudden, intense burst of physical power typically triggered by extreme stress or adrenaline in high-stakes scenarios. Scientists believe that under normal circumstances, the body subconsciously limits the full potential of our muscles to prevent injury. But in dire emergencies, those restrictions may be bypassed, allowing a person to access an extraordinary level of strength, albeit briefly and often at great physical cost.

In another account from 2006, a man named Tom Boyle in Tucson, Arizona, witnessed a bicyclist get struck by a Camaro. Boyle ran to the scene and lifted the car high enough for the victim to be pulled to safety. Later, Boyle couldn’t explain how he had managed to lift such weight—only that in that moment, he didn’t think; he just acted. These powerful moments highlight the untapped reserves of physical and emotional strength that lie dormant within us until we are pushed to our absolute limits.

These remarkable stories are not only testaments to the body’s hidden capabilities but also metaphors for what each of us might be able to achieve when we break through fear and hesitation. While most of us won’t find ourselves lifting cars off loved ones, we all encounter situations that test our inner strength, resilience, and willpower. In those moments, just like in those extraordinary emergencies, we may discover that we are capable of far more than we ever believed.

Tapping into Our Full Intelligence

It’s often said that as humans, we only use 5–10 percent of our total mental capacity. While that figure may be debated scientifically, it still serves as a powerful metaphor for the vast untapped reserves of intelligence and capability we possess. Many of us operate only within the bounds of our conscious, rational mind, never fully exploring the broader dimensions of our mental potential. To truly thrive, we need to expand our awareness and cultivate access to all aspects of our intelligence—both seen and unseen.

Traditional intelligence—our ability to analyze, compute, and reason—certainly plays a vital role in our success. However, this conscious cognition is only the tip of the iceberg. Beneath it lies the subconscious mind, a vast storehouse of intuition, memory, pattern recognition, and creativity. Neuroscience continues to uncover how much of our thinking and decision-making is actually driven by subconscious processes long before we become consciously aware of them. Tapping into this deeper wellspring can be transformative.

Moreover, our intelligence extends beyond our brains. It flows through our entire nervous system and manifests in our bodies in surprising ways. The idea of a "gut feeling" or a "heart-based decision" is not mere poetry—there is increasing recognition that the enteric and cardiac nervous systems play meaningful roles in our perception and behavior. By paying attention to the subtle signals in our bodies, we gain access to intuitive insights that the rational mind may overlook.

Reaching our full mental potential, then, is not just about thinking harder or faster. It is about integrating all the ways we process and experience the world. This includes learning to listen inward, attune to our emotional and physical intelligence, and embrace the wisdom that emerges from stillness, dreams, and spontaneous inspiration. Practices such as mindfulness, meditation, and embodied movement can help unlock these deeper capacities.

In the end, expanding our mental capacity means recognizing that intelligence is multidimensional. When we engage not only the intellect but also the intuition, the body, and the subconscious, we become more creative, responsive, and whole. By being open to these broader pathways of awareness, we position ourselves to grow beyond our current limitations and move ever closer to our full potential.

Max Reps, Working Out Until Failure

There’s a certain moment in the gym—right when your muscles are burning, your form is slipping, and your brain is telling you to stop—that defines whether you’re just going through the motions or truly pushing yourself. It’s the final rep. The one you’re not sure you can complete. In strength training, this is often referred to as going to failure or "maxing out." It’s when you perform a set of repetitions until you physically can’t lift the weight again with proper form. And while it may sound extreme, there’s real science, and even more symbolism, behind this popular approach.

In the fitness world, training to failure isn’t a one-size-fits-all technique. It plays a key role in certain programs aimed at building muscle and increasing endurance. When you push your muscles to the point of fatigue, you activate more muscle fibers, especially the fast-twitch ones responsible for strength and power. This deep level of stress signals to the body that adaptation is needed. In other words, growth. For muscle growth goals, incorporating failure training (strategically and with good form) can be a powerful tool. It’s all about knowing your limit in the moment, and then brushing right up against it.

Done properly and with intention, max reps can serve as a physical gauge of progress. You see where you are, what you’re capable of, and what still needs work. But more than that, it’s a mental practice. It trains your mindset as much as your muscles—teaching you to stay in it when things get uncomfortable, to finish strong when the easier choice is to stop short.

That’s where this concept begins to mirror life. Reaching your full potential, whether in work, relationships, or personal development, it doesn’t just happen by accident. It’s a result of showing up consistently and pushing yourself just a little bit further than you thought possible. Maxing out isn’t about perfection—it’s about effort. It’s about being honest with yourself about where your current ceiling is, and having the courage to keep reaching until you hit it and break through to a whole new level.

We don’t always know what we’re capable of until we’re pushed. Sometimes that push comes from within. Other times, it comes from the people around us—the mentors, coaches, and teammates who believe in us when we doubt ourselves. Either way, the outcome is the same: personal growth.

So, this week, remember that finding your full potential often starts with a single question: have I given this everything I’ve got?

If the answer is yes—even if you didn’t succeed right away—you’re already further than you were yesterday. If the answer is no? Good news. There’s still room to grow.

What’s Your Full Potential? - Start by Asking Those Who’ve Already Lived It

We all carry within us a vast reserve of untapped potential—dreams not yet voiced, skills not yet sharpened, contributions not yet made. But how do we begin to access this full potential, especially when daily life tugs us toward routine and limitation?

One timeless strategy is this: ask history.

When you sit with the wisdom of people who’ve lived before you—leaders, rebels, builders, and thinkers—you realize that most of the boundaries you take for granted are artificial. Reading Frederick Douglass or Eleanor Roosevelt, you start to see how courage can be learned. Listening to George Washington’s doubts during the winter at Valley Forge or Ben Franklin’s delight in constant invention, you see that greatness isn’t born—it’s built, brick by brick.

But here’s the twist: thanks to emerging AI tools like large language models (LLMs), we can now interact with history in astonishing ways. Want to chat with a chatbot trained on Abraham Lincoln’s letters or Jane Austen’s worldview? You can. Curious what Marcus Aurelius would say about your Monday morning anxiety? Ask him.

These tools aren’t just gimmicks. They’re mirrors—showing you that the patterns of human greatness are repeatable and often hiding in plain sight.

If you’re from a small town wondering how to make a big impact, this is your moment. Combine the lessons of the past with the tools of the future. Read widely. Ask deep questions. Use AI to stretch your understanding. You don’t need to wait for permission or a perfect plan.

Because when you start to explore what’s truly possible—when you study not just what is, but what has been—you might just discover the blueprint to what could be.

Positive Profile of the Week: The Man Who Broke the Barrier: Roger Bannister and the 4:00 Mile

In 1954, something happened that the world had long been told was impossible.

For decades, coaches, scientists, and pundits had insisted that no human could run a mile in under four minutes. They said the body would break down, that the lungs couldn’t keep up, that the heart wouldn’t survive the strain. It wasn’t just hard—it was considered unthinkable. A physiological limit. A wall.

Then came Roger Bannister.

What made Bannister so remarkable wasn’t just that he broke the four-minute mile—it was how and why he did it. A full-time medical student at the time, Bannister trained during lunch breaks and between hospital rotations. He wasn’t a professional athlete, didn’t have the best facilities, and his schedule was punishing. But what he had in abundance was belief: belief in his body, his training, and most importantly, belief that limits were made to be tested.

On May 6, 1954, on a cinder track in Oxford, Roger Bannister ran the mile in 3 minutes, 59.4 seconds, shattering a psychological barrier that had held firm for decades. The world stood in awe. But here’s the most inspiring part: just 46 days later, another runner broke the four-minute barrier. And soon, others followed. What changed? Not physiology. Possibility.

Bannister’s triumph didn’t just redefine running. It redefined belief. He proved that “impossible” is often just a reflection of what hasn’t been done yet—not what can’t be done.

This week, as we reflect on the theme of "What’s Your Full Potential?", Bannister’s story is a powerful reminder that we often stand just one bold step away from a breakthrough—not just in athletics, but in our towns, businesses, families, and dreams. What’s stopping us might not be reality—it might be convention, fear, or simply that we haven’t tried hard enough… yet.

Roger Bannister didn’t just run a fast mile. He taught us to ask a better question:

What if I can?