"You have potential, Lauren." Honestly, this phrase is literally played on a loop in my nightmares. I will never forget my high school cheerleading coach telling me that I had potential freshman year after practicing back handsprings that felt like hours. It may be something small, but those four words are burned into my brain, and I really can't let them go. This phrase was repeated multiple times, and each time, they didn't get easier to swallow.
Telling someone they have potential is not a compliment. I believe this statement is a very polite form of an insult. I had the potential to be an excellent tumbler (if I shelled out all of my money to pay for a private instructor to spot my practices). I had the potential if I spent 24 hours a day stretching. I hate when people tell me I have potential. How about noticing or appreciating the skills that I do have?
Your worth is not in the words that people say to you. This took me a while to believe wholeheartedly. I thought that because she was older than me and that because she had authority, those words were true, but they weren't. Who cares about my lack of gymnastic ability? Honestly, who cares? That doesn't affect my day-to-day life of being a college student. I'm so much more than that horrible p-word that most definitely does not define me. Quite honestly, that word taught me more about myself.
I'm a lot more than the title my high school coach gave me. I'm a hard worker. I'm dedicated. I'm a career. I care deeply about others. I don't have potential - I have the God-given talent to be 100-percent and uniquely me. I'm flawed, but I'm loved. I'm broken, but I'm strong. So is everyone else who has been told they have potential. They are much more than something they can "almost" do. They have qualities that make them unique and make them kick-butt awesome.
It won't matter in the long run, what people say about you. The funny thing is not everyone in life is going to like you. They're not going to appreciate your story like your best friends, but that's OK. You don't have potential. You don't need potential. You just need to be you. Being OK with the person you are is honestly the best way to live your life. Trying to impress people who mean nothing is pointless. Be brilliantly you, because those people absolutely do not matter.
