Just a few months ago the nation suffered a huge loss from the death of Dr. Dorothy Height. Almost a year ago I interviewed her about the National Council of Negro Women’s obesity initiative. Being the month after President Obama’s inauguration she told me, “We’ve reached a historic point. We have an African-American president. And really, having an African-American family in the White House ought to be an incentive to all of us.”
Height was a woman whose career in service spanned over seventy years. She marched against lynchings in the 1920’s, was the only woman on stage for Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream Speech” and was awarded 36 honorary degrees. Even at 98 she was still working on bettering the community. This woman clearly knew the importance of extending one’s potential.
Many of us were taught as children that we could be anything as long as we put our mind to it. Sitting at your office desk and turning on the computer for another day of work, do you feel like you reached for the stars? Is this the conclusion to your story? Is this all your potential is?
Not to say change careers now, because you may be working towards a greater goal at the job or in other aspects of your life. There’s always a stepping stone to a greater goal.
But as you step, take a moment and reanalyze the plan. Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, in his book, The Power of Intention, gives great advice for aligning with your potential. “Potential itself, is not defined by limitation, in fact the exact opposite is true,” he said. “Potential by definition is unlimited. To align then, with your unlimited nature, to bring your conscious awareness to that formless state where all things are possible, brings you into atonement with the state of pure being, existing beyond form.”
In layman’s terms: Make a goal sheet. If it’s volunteering with kids, being active in your church or becoming more vocal at work– do it with the predetermination of getting something positive done. It’s not about the woman you are, but the woman you will be.
