This podcast comes with a health warning; this could seriously improve your career! It asks you to challenge your assumptions so only listen if you interested in finding your potential, if not please skip it.

Recently, whilst enjoying a socially distanced coffee, I overheard a fellow customer explaining to the barista how she had read an incredible book and was fascinated to share that people’s Maths grades can be improved if they are told they share the same birthday as a famous mathematician. I got into a discussion with her as I am so passionate about this subject. The conversation flowed and she said the book was Bounce, by Matthew Syed. I was really enjoying the conversation; the book is one of my favourites because it is so well-researched and insightful.

However, I was shocked when she said, “I like the book, but come on, we all have limits.”

Which is sort of missing the point, as the book is all about human potential. She explained how in her field, the legal profession, one must know the law and be gifted to be able to apply it correctly. I had to respond that if we assume you have an IQ between 110 and 140 (which is most of the population), you have the ability to start the journey to becoming a lawyer. It is clearly evidence by organisations like the Sutton Trust that the ability to enter the legal profession is highly skewed to those from middle and upper middle-class socio-economic backgrounds rather than a gift of natural talent.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was not born one of the world’s greatest composers. He put in many hours of practice! In fact, by the age of 6 he had clocked up over 3,000 hours of hard practice under the tutelage of his father, Leopold...

With the explosion of neuroscience during the two decades, many people read about deliberate practice and society’s lazy over-emphasis on natural talent, yet still have to point out, like my fellow-coffee drinker above, "Yes, but we all have limits.".

So what is the problem, you might say, with this mindset? It is cripplingly limited when it comes to realising our potential, and dulls our curiosity to explore new paths.

Stellar journalist and author, Clyde Brolin, conducted a seven-year study, interviewing hundreds of the world’s leading sports stars,. The result is his compelling book In the Zone, Clyde’s conclusions can be summed up in three words: Conceive, Believe, Achieve

Conceive – Michael Phelps’s coach, Bob Bowman, taught him how to visualise from a very young age to make the previous stretch times a self-fulfilling prophecy. He ended up winning one of his gold medal by one-hundredth of a second because he had his palm outstretched whilst his opponent’s hand was flexed.

Believe - Novak Djokovic told Clyde, “To be honest with you, there are no tricks, there is just belief”.

Achieve – Olympic heptathlon champion, Denise Lewis told Clyde, “It’s about unlocking that potential in your mind. The first step is not to put limitations on what you think is physically and mentally possible.”

So, what can we take from these fellow human beings who achieve extraordinary things? It’s an invite to have an honest conversation with ourselves. What do we really want to achieve within our lifetime? What do we really think is possible for us? What is our impact on our fellow humans?

“Honesty is a very expensive gift. Don't expect it from cheap people.” Warren Buffett.

That starts with you; are you up for an honest look in the mirror?

Our purpose at Enterprise Sales Club is to enable SaaS Sales Professionals to achieve their potential through the power of life-enhancing connections, shared experiences, and collaborative learnings.

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