Potential

Imagine a world where every person performs to his or her God given potential.  I imagine there would be little hunger, homeless, unemployed and people in prison.  Sure, I am over simplifying the issue.  If you look at children in the United States that go without food daily, you will find in most cases the parents are not living up to their potential.  Sure, there are some unavoidable circumstances.  But, in many cases it goes well beyond that.  It is adversity that knocks someone down.  Then they fail to get back up and give it 100%.  While perseverance is another topic it does play a part in not reaching your potential.

If your child is making a C in math, is it because they have reached their ability?  If your student had a D and is now making a C they are certainly on their way up to full potential.  The interesting thing about potential is that we are capable of so much more than we expect or require of others and ourselves.

It really does not matter if you are an adult or a child.  Failure to reach our full potential is about motivation (see my blog on motivation).   We are living in an entitlement society.  Entitlements are not about reaching potential.  Entitlements without conditions are about a lack of expectations.  

You get what you expect.  Expect to get up and give 100% to your job.  It is irrelevant whether you like your job or not.  Expect your children to give 100% in every task they attempt.  While it is not reasonable for a child to make an A on every assignment, it is reasonable to expect a child to consistently improve and give 100%.

While I was at the Moore Police Department I transferred into one of the local JR. Highs.  I was amazed at the lack of expectations with some of the children.  If a child had been diagnosed with ADD or some other challenge, they would get an Individualized Education Plan (IEP).  Most of these children were floated through the school.  The teachers were frustrated, the parents (some) were frustrated, and the principal was frustrated.  The expectation was lower for these children.  I saw several children that were not allowed to have homework (it was in their IEP).  Some children only had an IEP to prevent them from being kicked out of school.  If a child has an IEP (diagnosed with an disorder or challenge) they could not be suspended for more than 10 days a year.  It was the thought of many teachers that some children were diagnosed and given IEP to prevent them from being suspended for behavior issues.  Some of the behavior that I observed I diagnosed a LBOB disorder.  LBOB Lack of Board on Bottom.

The point of this article is not about who should be diagnosed with a disorder or who should not.  This is about expecting every person to reach his or her potential.

YOU GET WHAT YOU EXPECT from yourself and from others.  Expect the best.

Steve Swinford is the owner and Master Instructor of Victory Martial Arts Inc.  Norman Oklahoma.  www.normankarate.com 405-447-3005