Realize Your Full Potential

This is something I still feel like I have no clue about. And yet the more I research the idea, an excitement wells up from deep inside my soul. Are we living up to our full potential? When we look at ourselves, how deep do we really look? What are we afraid we'll see? Yesterday I was listening to Dr. Laura on my drive home. A young lady called in wondering how to feel and believe the confidence that others see in her. Dr. Laura asked her where she learned that others are stupid. Completely confused, the young lady didn't know how to respond. Dr. Laura went on to explain that someone in her life (in this case, her dad) told her that she was ______ (insert negative trait). She believed this, figuring that her dad was smart and knew better. Now as an adult she thinks everyone else is stupid for not seeing the horrible truth, that she is actually _______ (insert negative trait). Dr. Laura chided her that you can't fake confidence. You either have it, or you don't. If others see her as confident, then she is. She then had the caller scream out, "Dad was wrong!" What a liberating moment for that young lady. What vices keep us from realizing our full potential? Isn't it interesting that although we came from glory and are sons and daughters of a Heavenly Father, the most common feeling is of not being good enough. Elder Richard G. Scott said, "Something extraordinary is happening. Do you sense it? Truly, as obedience and morality decline in the world, the Lord is sending more exceptional spirits to earth. As a body they excel the average capacity of their forebears. Their potential for personal growth and positive contribution is enormous. As parents and leaders, how are you cultivating that potential? As a young man or woman of this generation, what are you doing to realize your extraordinary potential? Will you nurture it and rise to exceptional heights of accomplishment and happiness? How will you avoid Satan’s efforts to undermine your potential through transgression? Only you can answer these critical questions. With all my capacity I encourage you to discover who you really are. I invite you to look beyond the daily routine of life. I urge you to discern through the Spirit your divinely given capacities. I exhort you to prayerfully make worthy choices that will lead you to realize your full potential." I still struggle with paralyzing feelings of inadaquacy and doubt. Yet something inside is frustrated that its not fulfilling its potential. I am taking Elder Scott's challenge to "discern through the Spirit [my] divinely given capacities", I will "nurture it and rise to exceptional heights of accomplishment and happiness", and I will "avoid Satan's efforts to undermine [my] potential". There's great work to be done, and cannot help anyone until we first help ourselves.