The Problem Of Unrealized Potential | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Health and Wellness

The Problem Of Unrealized Potential

Frustrations of a so-called "over-achiever"

666
The Problem Of Unrealized Potential
Dreams Time

I'm often called an over-achiever. Family have said it, friends have said it. And yes, I try to do a lot. I'm taking 18.5 college credits this semester, serving on Student Government, and trying to work at least 10-15 hours a week, which to some people, is more than could be handled. But am I actually an over-achiever, or am I simply an over-achiever when compared to the majority of an under-achieving society?

I'm not trying to say that a majority of society is lazy, but simply that they can do more than they believe possible. I think the problem is that people try. Try something new, try something that might not work. Why don't people want to try? Maybe sometimes it's because people are lazy. But the issue goes deeper than that.

People don't try because they don't see their own potential. They don't try to think about the most of which they are capable. People don't look at themselves in the mirror in the morning and say, "How am I going to affect the world today?" I fear that people see themselves as nothing more than a person, simply trying to make it through the day so that they can come home and watch Netflix.

Don't get me wrong; I enjoy Netflix as much as the next college kid. But there is so much more to life than Netflix. There's a whole world out there. A whole world of which we are blessed to be a part! People ask me how I am able to do so much, and part of it has to do with the fact that I know of what I am capable, and I don't want to waste any of my capabilities.

However, it is easy to become discouraged when you are the only person trying to do all that you can. It's not because I don't enjoy what I do. I love everything that I'm doing. I know that it is all for a cause, and that I am glorifying my God by doing it. But it is discouraging to me, because I am able to see of what others are capable. People are capable of so much, and yet they fritter their lives away on things that do not matter.

The hard part is making people see their own potential. But I'm going to find a way to do it.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
ross geller
YouTube

As college students, we are all familiar with the horror show that is course registration week. Whether you are an incoming freshman or selecting classes for your last semester, I am certain that you can relate to how traumatic this can be.

1. When course schedules are released and you have a conflict between two required classes.

Bonus points if it is more than two.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

12 Things I Learned my Freshmen Year of College

When your capability of "adulting" is put to the test

4987
friends

Whether you're commuting or dorming, your first year of college is a huge adjustment. The transition from living with parents to being on my own was an experience I couldn't have even imagined- both a good and a bad thing. Here's a personal archive of a few of the things I learned after going away for the first time.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

Economic Benefits of Higher Wages

Nobody deserves to be living in poverty.

303542
Illistrated image of people crowded with banners to support a cause
StableDiffusion

Raising the minimum wage to a livable wage would not only benefit workers and their families, it would also have positive impacts on the economy and society. Studies have shown that by increasing the minimum wage, poverty and inequality can be reduced by enabling workers to meet their basic needs and reducing income disparities.

I come from a low-income family. A family, like many others in the United States, which has lived paycheck to paycheck. My family and other families in my community have been trying to make ends meet by living on the minimum wage. We are proof that it doesn't work.

Keep Reading...Show less
blank paper
Allena Tapia

As an English Major in college, I have a lot of writing and especially creative writing pieces that I work on throughout the semester and sometimes, I'll find it hard to get the motivation to type a few pages and the thought process that goes behind it. These are eleven thoughts that I have as a writer while writing my stories.

Keep Reading...Show less
April Ludgate

Every college student knows and understands the struggle of forcing themselves to continue to care about school. Between the piles of homework, the hours of studying and the painfully long lectures, the desire to dropout is something that is constantly weighing on each and every one of us, but the glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel helps to keep us motivated. While we are somehow managing to stay enrolled and (semi) alert, that does not mean that our inner-demons aren't telling us otherwise, and who is better to explain inner-demons than the beloved April Ludgate herself? Because of her dark-spirit and lack of filter, April has successfully been able to describe the emotional roller-coaster that is college on at least 13 different occasions and here they are.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments