Viewing: Notes » Think potential.
Think potential.
(6 minute read.)
'Vision is the art of seeing the invisible.'
Page 1 2
A recent note referred to a domain I'd sold… 'Think Potential.com'.
I think the inspirational source from which the domain came is worth a mention… in an archive post from fifteen/twenty years ago.
Here it is…
*****
So let's 'think about potential': 'Visualize that which is capable of being though not yet in existence… be open to the possibility. Believe.'
The 'vision is' reference in the sub-title of this note is of course a direct lift from Swift. And the title of this note comes from a movie.
From memory, which may be incorrect, in the movie Patch Adams, there's a scene where, in customary animated arms-flailing fashion, Robin Williams encourages folk to… 'think potential!'
They're standing in a green field talking about a clinic, the Gesundheit Institute. Yet to be built, Williams is the only one who can see it. Initially. Through passion, the point is made and the others share the vision.
Here's a few words which make sense of it. Much of this is a briefly-edited and slightly tidied variant of something I found on the web (and saved in case it vanished)—and if I could find the source I'd duly credit.
See what others choose not to see. 'See what no one else sees. See what others choose not to see out of fear, conformity or laziness. See the whole world anew each day.'
There's a pivotal scene where the character Arthur Mendelson tells Patch to look beyond the four fingers he's holding up. If he only looked at the fingers themselves, he would always only see four. Yet if he looked beyond them, he would then see eight.
His point was that if we put all our focus on the problem, we'll never see the solution. But if we have the wisdom to look beyond the problem we will often find a solution.
We must do the same thing if we are to understand complex things, ideas, or people. We must look beyond the surface to find what lies underneath. Only then can we see the gem that lies deep within.
See what others choose not to see out of fear. Fear of what? Perhaps it's fear of the truth. If we see the truth in a situation, it may require action on our part. We may then be held responsible by others—or our own conscience—if we fail to act.
Example: there may be signs in a family that a child or mother is being abused. They may be very subtle signs, or just a hunch or 'feeling' on our part. It may take a lot of courage on our part to take action to protect them.
Or perhaps we're in a relationship where our deep emotional needs are not being met. We may see the problem as our partner. Perhaps they don't know how to meet those needs, or just don't care.
Underneath the question 'What keeps me from confronting or overcoming this obstacle?' may be our fear of being rejected or criticized if we were to talk to our partner. It may be our fear of discovering they care even less about us and our needs than we thought. This fear carries with it a level of pain that would be difficult to deal with. Or perhaps it would mean recognizing something in ourself that may need to be addressed, such as a serious personality flaw.
Sometimes seeing beyond a negative situation may mean recognizing the part we played in creating the situation.
Fear also stops us from learning. Because once we learn and understand a given truth… once we 'see' the benefits of the knowledge, we're then obligated to apply it to our lives. It may mean changing our lifestyle. Breaking away from the familiar, which can be scary.
Page 1 2
Never miss a Note… get updates by email or rss.