The Insane Pressure of Not Living Up to Your Potential

Today I wanna talk about this insanely tremendous stress many of us feel because we think that we’re just not living up to our potential.

There’s a particular kind of pressure here. The kind that doesn’t always speak loudly, but lingers all day, everyday. It says you’re not doing enough, you could be so much more, don’t waste your potential!

And the truth is, you know it’s not wrong. You do have potential. You’ve always known you were capable of doing something meaningful, maybe even something big.

But lately, you’re just tired. Not lazy. Not unmotivated. Just tired. Tired in a way that your fiery ambition can’t fix or overcome.

As much as I’d like to sit next to you and sigh all day long because I’m feeling this pressure, too, I have to tell you something. Something, I believe, many of us need to hear: It's that sometimes, this stress and this pressure doesn’t come from not living up to your potential. It comes from not knowing which version of your potential you’re meant to chase.

Which one of your many dreams are you chasing? Is it yours? Is it so urgent that you’re withdrawing yourself from all that other stuff that sort of refills your energy? Is it truly the only thing you’re after that makes your life feel all vibrant? Or is it something someone else whispered into your ear and named it as your dream?

My friend, you don’t need to give up on yourself. You don’t need to settle. And you definitely do not need to give up on reaching your potential.

But you can pause.

You can change the pace that’s burning you out, and choose one that actually honors your energy. You can redefine what “big things” means to you. Maybe it’s a quiet life filled with depth. Maybe it’s working on a cause close to your heart, even if it doesn’t come with applause. Maybe it’s healing, resting, reparenting, creating. Maybe it’s a rich life full of hundreds of attempts at building a dream together with the people you love, instead of having to do it all by yourself.

Living up to your potential doesn’t have to look like chasing every opportunity. It can look like choosing the right ones, at the right time, in ways that feel right for you.

So if you’re in that space right now, aware of your potential, but overwhelmed by the pressure to live it out perfectly, this is your soft reset.

Breathe. Reconnect. Reclaim your direction.

You’re not falling behind. You’re finding your own rhythm.

And that’s powerful.