Life

How to Have the Audacity to Pursue Your Greatest Potential

Dissatisfaction is not a sign that something is wrong with your life. Dissatisfaction is a divine prompting and invitation into a new dimension of living.

Published

7 months ago

Jun 28, 2024

Jamelle Sanders

Image Credit: Midjourney

As we hit the halfway point in 2024, now is the perfect time to assess your life. Assess where you are regarding the goals you set, dreams you have, and intentions that you want to accomplish at this season of your life.

Most people get excited talking about their goals and the grand visions that they have for their lives. At the same time, most people avoid assessing their lives and taking responsibility for their decisions and the direction that their lives have taken.

At this season of my life, I find myself greatly conflicted. I am making extraordinary progress in my life and achieving my goals; however, I have been challenged in so many ways this year to push my limits and honor the seed of my potential.

I am writing this for every person that feels that they want more out of life but you have no clue how to get it. It’s time for you to stop playing small and dare to live a bigger life!

1. You have to acknowledge your dissatisfaction

While many people will tell you that dissatisfaction is a bad thing, I want to challenge this assumption. Dissatisfaction is not a sign that something is wrong with your life. On the contrary, dissatisfaction is a divine prompting and invitation into a new dimension of living.

Too many people allow dissatisfaction to discourage them. Personally, I have decided to allow dissatisfaction to direct me to the more that I know is beckoning me. It is not enough to be dissatisfied with your life.

At some point, you have to acknowledge the dissatisfaction. Why is this so important? When you acknowledge your dissatisfaction with your life, you become aware of what is not working in your life and what needs to change.

Dissatisfaction is an emotion but it is not permanent. Therefore, you are always in the driver’s seat of driving all changes in your life. Dissatisfaction is a soul alarm clock alerting you that something is broken in your life and needs your attention.

What you are willing to acknowledge you are ultimately empowered to change.

2. You must be willing to address the source of your dissatisfaction

It is one thing to acknowledge that you are dissatisfied with your life. On the other hand, it takes great courage and responsibility to address the source of the dissatisfaction in your life.

For me, much of the dissatisfaction in my life was rooted in self-limiting beliefs and perceptions. In other words, it was the feelings of unworthiness, not feeling good enough, and feelings of insignificance that produced dissatisfaction in my life.

Many times we lie to ourselves about our dissatisfaction and unhappiness. Deep down inside we know exactly what the source of our dissatisfaction is. Any place that you are unwilling to explore within yourself will always remain a place of enslavement.

Your denial will not suppress the truth that is eating at your soul. At some point, you have to be willing to address self-limiting beliefs and perceptions, psychological constructs, and narratives that do not support who you were born to be.

You will never advance beyond what you are willing to address.

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs

3. You must decide that you want more for your life

After you have spent enough time ruminating on the things that are restricting your life, then you have to take it a step further and make a decision that you want more for your life.

While the quest to discover what is broken about our lives can take many paths, the reality is that all the paths lead us to the conclusion that we want more for our lives and we will remain unfulfilled without the pursuit of more.

Ultimately, every person must arrive at the non-negotiable decision that they want more for their life. This is one of the most empowering decisions we can ever make. The moment a decision is made your destiny is affected forever.

As a highly respected thought leader, my intention is always to arrive people at empowered decisions. Why is that? Empowered decisions are a catalyst to freedom and a fulfilling life. There is nothing more miserable than living stuck and stagnant. You should never feel guilty for desiring to grow and wanting more for your life. More is not about greed and materialism.

Over twenty years ago I discovered that more is about growth, meaning, and fulfillment. I’ve yet to meet a single person who does not desire to live a more fulfilling life.

Our fulfillment does not come from the accumulation of things. Our fulfillment comes from awakening to the treasures within us.

4. You must audaciously pursue your potential

As a human potential specialist, I have empowered leaders all around the world to unlock their greatest potential. However, before you can ever unlock your potential you must first recognize your potential.

To recognize your potential requires you to have a clear vision for your life. As you pursue your vision, you will begin to unlock your potential and discover capacity and resources that you never knew you possessed.

If you really want to experience life at its best, then I challenge you to stop living in pursuit of titles, accolades, and riches. Instead, I challenge you to live your life in pursuit of your greatest potential.

When I dared to audaciously pursue my potential, I accessed new ways of thinking, new ways of living, and unlimited possibilities. It’s a travesty to die with treasures in you that were never discovered, solutions that were never accessed, and ideas that could have radically changed the world.

When you pursue your potential there are no regrets. The pursuit of your potential is how you become who you were born to be.

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Jamelle Sanders

Jamelle Sanders is the CEO of Jamelle Sanders International. Jamelle is committed to empowering leaders and entrepreneurs around the world to live up to their true potential and to profit wildly in their businesses. Jamelle is a life coach, business strategist, author, leading empowerment specialist and highly respected thought leader. Jamelle has been featured on CBS, NBC, Huff Post Live and contributed to numerous media outlets such as Thrive, Inspiyr, Young Upstarts, Elite Daily and numerous others.

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Life

How Learning the Skill of Hope Can Change Everything

Hope isn’t wishful thinking. It’s a state of being and a skill that has profound evidence of helping people achieve success in life

Published

2 weeks ago

Jan 6, 2025

Daniel Bell

Image Credit: Midjourney

Hope isn’t wishful thinking. It’s a state of being and a skill that has profound evidence of helping people achieve success in life.

Wishful thinking, on the other hand, is like having dreams in the sky without a ladder to climb, having a destination without a map, or trying to operate a jet-engine airplane without instructions. It sounds nice but is impossible to realize. You don’t have what you need to make it happen!

What Real Hope Is

Real hope is actionable, practical, and realistic. Better yet, it’s feasible and can be learned.

One popular approach is Hope Theory. This concept is used by colleges to study how hope impacts students’ academic performance. Researchers found that students with high levels of hope achieve better grades and are more likely to graduate compared to those with less hope.

Hope can be broken down into two components:

Pathways – The “how to” of hope. This is where people think of and establish plans for achieving their goals.
Agency – The “I can” of hope. This is the belief that the person can accomplish their goals.

Does Hope Really Work?

According to Webster’s Dictionary, hope as a noun is defined as: “desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment.”

As humans, we are wired to crave fulfillment. We have the ability to envision it and, through hope, make it a reality.

My Experience with Hope

For 13 years, I was a hopeless human. During my time working at a luxury hotel as a front desk agent earning $11.42 per hour, I felt the sting of hopelessness the most.

The regret of feeling my time was being stolen from me lingered every time I clocked in. Eventually, I decided to do something about it.

I gave myself permission to hope for something better. I began establishing pathways to success and regained agency by learning from self-help books and seeking mentorship.

Because I took action toward something I desired, I now feel more hope and joy than I ever felt hopelessness. Hope changed me.

Hope Actually Improves Your Life

Wishful thinking doesn’t work, and false hope is equally ineffective. Real hope, however, is directly tied to success in all areas of life.

Studies show that hopeful people tend to:

Demonstrate better problem-solving skills
Cultivate healthier relationships
Maintain stronger motivation to achieve goals
Exhibit better work ethic
Have a positive outlook on life

These benefits can impact work life, family life, habit-building, mental health, physical health, and spiritual practice. Imagine how much better your life could be by applying real hope to all these areas.

How to Develop the Skill to Hope

As acclaimed French writer Jean Giono wrote in The Man Who Planted Trees:
“There are also times in life when a person has to rush off in pursuit of hopefulness.”

If you are at one of those times, here are ways to develop the skill to hope:

1. Dream Again

To cultivate hope, you need to believe in its possibility. Start by:

Reflecting on what you’re passionate about, your values, and what you want to achieve.
Writing your dreams down, sharing them with someone encouraging, or saying them out loud.
Creating a vision board to make your dreams feel more tangible.

Dreams are the foundation of hope—they give you something meaningful to aspire toward.

2. Create an Environment of Hope

Set Goals: Write down your goals and create a plan to achieve them.
Visualize Success: Use inspirational quotes, photos, or tools like dumbbells or canvases to remind yourself of your goals.
Build a Resource Library: Collect books, eBooks, or audiobooks about hope and success to inspire you.

An environment that fosters hope will keep you motivated, resilient, and focused.

3. Face the Challenges

Don’t avoid challenges—overcoming them builds confidence. Participating in challenging activities, like strategic games, can enhance your problem-solving skills and reinforce hope.

4. Commit to Wisdom

Seek wisdom from those who have achieved what you aspire to. Whether through books, blogs, or social media platforms, learn from their journeys. Wisdom provides the foundation for real, actionable hope.

5. Take Note of Small Wins

Reflecting on past victories can fuel your hope for the future. Ask yourself:

What challenges have I already overcome?
How did I feel when I succeeded?

By remembering those feelings of happiness, relief, or satisfaction, your brain will naturally adopt a more hopeful mindset.

Conclusion

Hope is more than wishful thinking—it’s a powerful skill that can transform your life. By dreaming again, creating a hopeful environment, facing challenges, seeking wisdom, and celebrating small wins, you can develop the real hope necessary for success in all aspects of life.

Let hope guide you toward a brighter, more fulfilling future.

Life

The 5 Stages of a Quarter-Life Crisis & What You Can Do

A quarter-life crisis isn’t a sign you’ve lost your way; it’s a sign you’re fighting for a life that’s truly yours.

Published

4 weeks ago

Dec 27, 2024

CT Dool

Image Credit: Midjourney

The quarter-life crisis is a well-defined set of stages—Trapped, Checking Out, Separation, Exploration, Rebuilding—one goes through in breaking free from feelings of meaninglessness, lack of fulfillment, and misalignment with purpose. I detail the stages and interweave my story below. (more…)

Life

Here’s The Thing About Learning, Unlearning, and Relearning

Stop hoarding and start sharing your knowledge and wealth for the benefit of humankind

Published

2 months ago

Nov 21, 2024

M.S. Rao

Image Credit: Midjourney

Few people have the habit of hoarding their wealth without spending. However, it limits their motivation as they tend to get into their comfort zones. When people start spending money, then there will be depletion in their coffers. (more…)