We are willing to bet that you are not exactly where you were 5 or 10 years ago. You have grown, improved and become a much better version of yourself. Before delving fully into the possibility that you are not exploring the depths of your career potential, we would say that congratulations are in order. After all, not many people are able to reach the heights you have reached and conquer the challenges you’ve conquered.
But, have you ever stopped to consider that there is more for you out there? Have you ever stopped to consider that perhaps, you have not exactly tapped into all that you can be or do? If we were to take a wild guess, we would say yes. You have probably not fully explored your potentials and despite your achievements, you are probably only just scratching the surface. But, how exactly do you know for sure?
Here are the top signs that show you are not exploring the depths of your career potential:
1. You no longer have goals to focus on
Goals are the driving force behind achievements. You cannot go about exploring the depths of your potential if you are merely roaming around without goals, simply hoping for things to happen to you.
Of course, you might have a few wins here and there, and one or two things might work for you. But it is nothing compared to how far you can go when you are laser-focused on achieving a particular goal or set of goals.
If you find yourself going to work every day without a clear plan of what you want to achieve in the near or distant future, the chances are that you are not quite living to your potential yet.
2. You’re falling out with old friends
Growing up, you probably had conversations with your friends about who you wanted to become as an adult. As adults, some of your friends would have gone on to become experts in their chosen fields.
Now, if you have been exploring your potential and climbing higher on your career ladder, you will find yourself evolving with them. You would be able to attend their events, parties, functions, and everything else in between. When they get caught up in work and cannot immediately attend to you, you would not feel bad or jealous in any way because you understand from experience how demanding it can be to constantly seek self-improvement.
However, if you have opted for stagnation at any point, the likelihood is that you may not be in the same circles as your childhood friends any longer. You would feel a clear difference between your social status.
If you notice that this already happening to you, you may not be living up to your potential.
3. You spend a lot of time thinking about what could have been
You see, when something is not right with us, our brains and minds have several ways of letting us know.
If you were successfully smashing your goals as you set them and aiming for new ones, there would be nothing to think about besides what next to do and accomplish. If, however, the inverse is the case, you will likely find yourself sulking a lot about what you could have achieved at different points in time.
For some people, the thoughts could be mild, coming only now and then. For other people, they could be severe, leading to depression and what you might call a midlife crisis. Regardless, they are a sign that there’s something you could be doing that you aren’t. In other words, you are not exploring the depths of your career potential.
4. You constantly wonder if you have hit the final stage of your development
For starters, the easiest answer to that is probably a no. For every new level you attain, there’s always something new to learn, some new goal to achieve, or level to attain.
If you find yourself wondering if there’s anything else for you in your line of work, you might be underutilizing your potential. While it is okay to question if you have hit the final stage in your career, you must also be willing to answer those questions with a resounding NO!
5. You’re unhappy
Your company provides you with many benefits in your current position. This includes a nice car, an office with air conditioning and a view of the city, an assistant who calls you “sir/ma” and never questions your authority. All these would generally be things to make any executive proud.
However, if you find that your position no longer thrills you then there is the possibility that you want something more. If you want something more but are not getting it, you might be underutilizing your potentials.
How to Fix this?
Get up!
Instead of simply feeling bad for yourself, get up and begin working better. Even if you do not have the training or skill required to improve immediately, acquire them! Speak to a mentor. Register for impactful training. Do whatever you can. Just refuse to be mediocre!