Knowing your Capacity
January 4th, 2007 by 
Administrator
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading ...
Maybe I read too many motivational books ( I’ve been reading them for the last 25 years). There is something in reading these how-to success and management books that gets you all perk up and excited, but when you read too many , you start to find that while there are sincere writers, some authors may just be making money pulling your leg.
Nothing makes you more excited that when you are made to be convinced that in this world, anybody can be a CEO or president, and they can be as powerful as their dreams can be or as rich as King Midas, and they can become what they can visualize. All it takes is a positive mental attitude, positive thinking, can-do, or other mantras. But then after a while, that great motivation turns into demotivation when you realize that you cannot ever be what you stretch-dream. You can buy all of Warren Buffet’s books, you can imitate and follow him everyday, but you are not going to be able to invest or earn like Buffet!
The truth is that while everybody can be president, not everybody has the ability to be one.
And while people have been able to achieve great heights by being motivated properly, some have also scaled the heights of despair by being motivated improperly.
But then, who would buy a book which will say, ” guys, be real. Bill Gates of course is a genius, and his mind is a Ferrari, and of course, he can go 250 miles per hour, but you are just a four cylinder engine, and it is best that you don’t try to overheat your engine trying to go past 100 miles per hour. ”
And of course, “Stephen King is a genius, and he will write something, and it will be downloaded a hundred thousand times within a few days, but you - be happy if you have 500 downloads! You are no King!”
I’m not saying that we cannot be better, but we should stop comparing ourselves to other people ( especially not to the best 1%) - because we are just different. And all the pep talk cannot get away the fact that i cannot dance the way like Jennifer Lopez, or I can never have the body of Arnold Schwarzenneger, or play the piano like Van Cliburn. Moreover, we should not think that we are a failure just because we cannot be like them.
Know our capacity, try to use the best way your talent, and be happy. You can always be better, but you are no Kennedy! I will continue to read motivational books ( and I will continue to keep this motivation blog), but it will be with the proper message — yes, we can be better, but no, we cannot fly!
January 8th, 2007 at 2:59 pm
Our barometer should not be other people, especially not our parents nor peers and most specially not the media (actors, athletes, “big-shots”.) Instead, we should look into ourselves, find out what we were created for, know our strengths and talents . From these, we can glean what we can do best, which will be where our happiness and contentment will be.
January 10th, 2007 at 8:41 am
great blog. i’m definitely going to read you everyday.
January 16th, 2007 at 10:13 am
I agree with 95% of your points, Wilson. Like you, I have been a fond reader of these how-to books that have proliferated bookshops over the years. Albeit to some degree, yes, they have been pulling most readers leg since time immemorial, the fact that these are best-sellers suggest, it applies, in one way or another, to some individuals lives.
I personally believe “being preceeds doing”. Most people’s mental habits reflect so much on the manner they conduct their lives. Hence, if what you read determines how you lead your life, somehow the positive effect of these books have manifested in the live of these readers. Putting in the right light, that is where my 5% disagreement comes in.
Solomon, a one-of-a-kind, no one-will-come-near-his-footsteps KING once uttered ” what has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun”.
True enough, while ordinary people like us try to live extraordinary lives achieving the unachievable, end of the day, these books’ authors are happily walking their way to the bank
February 2nd, 2007 at 8:47 am
The only limitations we have are those that we set in our minds.
February 4th, 2007 at 7:03 pm
very nice article!
and yes, we can definitely be happy with what we have - but we should also not stop in doing everything we can to improve.
February 8th, 2007 at 3:13 pm
The key is to be content is whatever state you are in. Strive to be the best wherever you are, whether you’re a janitor, taxi driver, programmer, business exec, CEO. Be content, be thankful. And still strive to improve yourself, pursue your ambition, and use your talents and abilities to its fullest potential.