Hey Reader,
We all want to reach our highest potential.
But some people feel they’re underperforming because of the physical, emotional, social, and professional limiting beliefs they’ve held onto.
In today’s issue, we’ll explore the art of living up to your highest potential.
💭 It’s all in the mind
For decades, runners believed a mile under four minutes was impossible. Not human, even.
Coaches said the body would break down.
Then on May 6, 1954, Roger Bannister ran 3:59.4 on the Iffley Road track in Oxford, with two pacers setting the rhythm.
Once one human proved it was possible, less than six weeks later, John Landy ran 3:58.
And within a year, other runners started doing it too.
Same bodies, same track, same distance.
But a different internal reality.
Because someone chose to overcome the limiting belief.
It just shows that the biggest limits aren’t always in our talent.
They’re in the stories we’ve accepted as true for so long.
🧠 The limiting beliefs
The killers of potential are often inherited limits from upbringing, culture, history, past failures, old identities, or environments.
These limits show up as hesitation, self-doubt, playing it safe, or underestimating what we can handle.
Some say things like “I don’t want to fail.” “I don’t want to look stupid.”
And this is where people quit before they even begin.
Sometimes, you hear things like “My friends won’t get it.” “What if it goes wrong?”
So they hold onto comfort instead of living their deepest truth.
Or things like “I’m not ready.” “I need more time.”
And suddenly, five years pass by. Nothing.
Funny thing is, it’s easy to see these limiting beliefs as facts.
But it makes us take decisions from a restricted version of ourselves, rather than our actual capacity.
Still getting things done, still stacking wins, yet feeling a sense of underperformance.
The “Is this it?” reflection you ask yourself when you’ve achieved quite a lot, but you know there’s so much more you can be.
💡 What the hell does “unleash your potential” mean by the way?
As cliché as it may sound, it's what we all desire.
Think of it as the distance between who you are today and who you know you can be.
Potential that has not been fully tapped creates a sense of restlessness.
You want more.
You just know you’re capable of more.
But sometimes, you unconsciously avoid the moves that would get you there.
Having ideas you don’t execute because you don’t feel ready yet.
Staying in environments that validate your limiting beliefs.
Feeling a pull toward something bigger but talking yourself out of it.
Being respected by everyone except yourself.
Not satisfied even when life looks pretty stable from the outside.
That restlessness, inner dissatisfaction, anxiety, and even that fear you feel all point to potential waiting to be unleashed.
❤️ Remove the veil
Your highest potential is unlocked when you see yourself beyond your past stories, fears, trauma, not-so-pleasant childhood memories, mistakes, hurt, disappointment, and pain, no matter how much sense they make.
When you believe in yourself much more than all these external beliefs, the limits lose power over you.
You become more confident even in the face of risk.
You make bolder decisions.
You feel that inner excitement to see how much more capable you are.
You become open to a higher capacity to hold more pressure without breaking.
You easily know when you’ve outgrown environments and people that stall your growth.
You start acting from a place of possibility instead of fear.
You’re more careful with your yeses and your nos.
You’re always thrilled to take on new, bigger challenges because you know that’s where you get to discover untapped potential.
Yes, you'll still feel fear and anxiety, but the thrill of becoming more than you already are will subdue the fear.
You’ll even be more restless if you choose to stay in your comfort zone.
So you’ll choose to keep exploring your abilities.
To achieve your highest potential.
🤲 Reach your higher self
Every day is a chance at living up to what you feel deeply called to achieve.
Start by practicing these 5 steps to reveal and break limiting barriers that hold you back:
- Find the barrier. For the next few days, study where you consistently pull back. Listen to how you speak when you’re around people you respect. Notice where your voice softens, where you add disclaimers, where you shrink your ideas. Watch the risks you almost take and then talk yourself out of them. Notice who you become around people you admire. Those moments show you exactly where you’re still holding back parts of yourself.
- Let it rip. There’s an action for every reaction. Ask yourself lots of “why.” Why do you hesitate? What’s the reason behind your hesitation? What’s the trigger? Where did that belief come from? Ask yourself until there’s no why left to ask.
- Again, let it rip. Reflect on these questions. What’s your biggest desire if these “whys” are taken away? What will you do differently if those “whys” never existed? That’s your cue to discover more of your deepest desires. It will pull you toward your higher potential. Go for it.
- Get clear on the life you want, then say no to everything that doesn’t lead you there. Once you’re clear on what you really want, it’s easier to identify and ignore distractions, no matter how great they look. If it’s not helping you unleash your highest potential, it’s not worth it.
- Join coaching or masterminds. It can be hard to let go on your own. I encourage you to join a coaching program to walk you through exposing and overcoming these barriers. Or join a tribe of people that operate at that higher level you wish for if all those limiting “whys” are taken away. Put yourself in rooms that hold you accountable to your higher self. It’s a great deal, really.
🎯 It’s always you vs you
What part of your life feels fine but no longer feels enough?
If you let go of those limiting beliefs, what would you allow yourself to go after?
Achieving a higher potential doesn’t need you to become someone else.
It’s stopping the quiet compromises you’ve learned to live with.
Again and again.
As Anaïs Nin put it, “And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”
Which risk will you choose?
With appreciation,
Huw
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Huw Edwards
Founder & CEO, h3.xyz
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