Some of you remember how the Sony Walkman made listening to recordings conveniently easy and is a good example of maximizing your potential. It was revolutionary to listen on a portable cassette player and the Walkman happened because Masaru Ibuka and Norio Ohga took the risk to revolutionize the way people listened to music. Sony was concerned about the marketability of a portable audio device as well as miniaturizing the necessary Technology for high-quality sound. Would people be willing to pay for such a device? It’s a good thing they forged ahead as it revolutionized the way we were able to access media.

J.K. Rowling is another example of someone who faced significant challenges. Her inspiring story is another demonstration of maximizing your potential. As a single mother living on welfare, she never gave up on her dream of being a writer. She spent hours and hours working on her manuscript for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in local cafes, pouring her imagination and creativity into the magical world she envisioned. Because she didn’t quit, even after a number of rejections, she ended up achieving tremendous success as a best-selling author as well as gained the freedom to support charitable causes.

Maximizing your potential largely relies on the actions you take that are aligned with your core beliefs and values. Those values, when fleshed out, lead to a strong purpose-driven life. (see Appendix in Stop Circling) To develop that purpose in maximizing your potential, we cover five principles: belief in yourself, continuous learning, setting clear goals, developing resilience and adaptability and consistent habits and routines.