Let’s Be Honest: Unlocking Your Potential Isn’t a 3-Step Plan

Recently, my husband came home and jokingly said, "Your coaching business has ruined my social media. Now I see like 10 ads a day for people claiming they're ready to unlock my potential or help me earn $100k in '3 easy steps.'"

I couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Partly because I’ve always felt like "unlock your potential" sounds like a vague, shiny, late-night infomercial tagline. But mostly what I found funny was the "3 easy steps." Because the reality is that an easy 3-step process may get us closer to achieving a specific goal… but then what?

Sure, we can follow a pre-made 3-step guide to get a new job or negotiate a raise – success rates to be determined. But breaking free from burnout? Creating alignment that lasts? Connecting with our values, leading with our strengths, rewriting old narratives, and cultivating a resilient life?

That’s not a simple 3-step process.

It takes courage, vulnerability, and effort. It’s more like 1 easy step, followed by several attempts at step 2, then maybe revisiting step 1 with a different perspective, then back to a more holistic version of step 2 before moving on to step 3. Then repeating! Haha.

Because – whether we’re switching careers, starting a new chapter, building something new, or just trying to remember who we are outside of Zoom calls, email threads, and doomscrolling – the desire to become our best self is something most of us carry. And it doesn't come with a personalized how-to guide or a glittery soundtrack.

We are all wonderfully unique with our own strengths, patterns, goals, and perspectives. It takes awareness, honesty, a bit of structure – and a whole lot of grace.

So here’s how we can start the journey today (and what we’ll unpack more deeply in the week ahead).

Know What Personal Growth Actually Is

Personal development isn’t just about reading self-help books or downloading a meditation app (personally love me some Calm).

It’s the ongoing practice of becoming more aligned with our values, strengths, and purpose – across our work, our relationships, and our daily lives.

As author James Clear says, "Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become."

I will be honest: I absolutely love the life I’m currently living, and I still have to regularly check in, take stock, and ensure I haven’t allowed old programming to step back into the driver's seat. But the more I do, the more meaning, peace, and joy I experience.

And it’s worth it. According to a LifePath survey, 85% of people who actively pursue personal growth report feeling more satisfied with their lives.

That’s not fluff or "foo foo" science, as a former colleague used to claim.

That’s called results.

Set Clear, Meaningful Goals (That Don’t Feel Like a To-Do List)

Here’s where many of us get stuck. We set goals like “get better at work” or “be promoted” or even “be happier” – and then wonder why we’re spinning our wheels.

Instead, let’s talk about GOOP goals: a framework that helps us to create and pursue goals with more meaning, clarity, and purpose.

The GOOP Model is adapted from Dr. Gabriele Oettingen’s goal-setting framework. Her research-backed method proved that individuals are far more likely to achieve their goals when they take time to both visualize what success will provide and prepare for potential obstacles that may arise along the way.

So what exactly is the GOOP Model? GOOP stands for:

• Goal – a meaningful, specific goal that you want to achieve and is within your control.

• Opportunity – what it will feel like, look like, or mean for you to accomplish this goal. Or another way to look at this: what is the opportunity that achieving this goal will provide to you?

• Obstacle – the potential obstacles (internal or external) that could hinder you from achieving this goal.

• Plan – the specific action steps you will take to achieve your goal, including how you will respond when the obstacles identified above are faced.

When we anchor our goals in who we are and what matters to us, we set ourselves up for success and create a connection to the outcome that carries us through the tough times.

Get Curious About What Lights You Up

This past week, I began noticing an odd trend. Under any video or post on social media where someone encouraged people to step away from screens and get outside or find time for something they love, there was always a comment that could be summed up as: "Must be nice, but my landlord needs me to pay rent."

I used to think the same thing: that life was binary. We either enjoy our passions at the expense of our job or security, or we sacrifice our passions for our job and security.

But I’m here to tell you this: we can have both.

That comment? It’s just learned capitalism whispering that our identity and value lie solely in what we produce at work.

But research shows otherwise. Engaging in meaningful, enjoyable activities improves cognitive flexibility, reduces stress, and enhances our productivity. Turns out, all work and no play really does make Jack a dull boy.

So, we must ask ourselves: what’s something we could talk about or explore for hours without getting bored?

Whatever it is, we must learn to create space to explore and experience it.

Learning Isn’t a 4-Letter Word (And No Finals Required)

Angela Duckworth, author of Grit, writes that the hallmark of success isn’t talent. It's perseverance

The ability to stick with something after the initial excitement wears off and we face challenges? That's where real growth happens.

Or as Carol Dweck puts it: “Becoming is better than being.”

If you hated school or bombed your fair share of exams, here’s the good news: this isn’t that kind of learning.

This kind of learning is expansive. It consists of experiences, podcasts, books, and conversations that stretch your mind, and being brave enough to ask “what if?” or even “what else?”

It’s also knowing that we don't have to master something overnight.

We just have to stay curious, keep showing up, and learn to trust the process.

Honest Reflection Leads to Growth

In a world where we are inundated with notifications, news updates, and unrealistic expectations, it can be a challenge to intentionally slow down.

But as the great Sister Mary Clarence taught her students in Sister Act II: Back in the Habit – “If you want to be somebody, if you want to go somewhere, you better wake up and pay attention.”

When we make space in our lives to pause and reflect, we stop living reactively and subconsciously, and we start living with purpose.

For months, I spent each Saturday morning journaling through the same four questions:

1. Where did I feel most aligned with my values this week?

2. Where did I feel misaligned?

3. What is at least one moment, experience, or achievement I am proud of from this week?

4. Where do I want to be more aware in the week ahead?

These questions changed the way I live.

They created a deeper state of awareness and intentionality, helped me see my own patterns, and brought presence back into the everyday.

And while your questions might look different, the power of a regular check-in cannot be overstated.

Final Thoughts

This journey isn’t about perfection. And it definitely doesn’t come with a glittering, personalized how-to manual.

But what it does come with is the promise that when we commit to our growth – with honesty, curiosity, and grace – we experience a palpable shift.

Over the next week, I’ll be diving deeper into each of these steps to provide further insight, guidance, and support in cultivating your own purpose and resilience.

Not with a magic wand, but with stories, tools, and simple strategies that lead to big change.

Here’s to courage, stepping into our own power, and cultivating resilient, purpose-driven lives all our own.

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If you're looking for support along this journey, I'd love to walk alongside you. Please use the link below to schedule a free consultation. Schedule your first coaching session today!