Understand your Potential

Understand your Potential

My logic has always suggested to me that I could just as easily have been a car mechanic rather than someone who was addicted to art and crafts.   But then further thought reminded me that had I become a car mechanic would have been more likely if my father was a car mechanic instead of a cartoonist!

I ask then, is one’s direction of development environmental?   Not necessarily for it could be happenstance as a result of an experience one has had that stirs an interest in a way forward.   I know someone who was in a nasty car accident when she was young.  As a result, she spent time in hospital and learned how dedicated the medics and nurses are.  She decided she wanted to learn more about medicine and eventually trained to be a doctor. 

There are inevitably other elements that contribute and most of these encompass personality types.  Many people are completely content in their comfort zone and are unlikely to venture out if it.  This is not to be disparaged.  Others lack confidence and I have talked at length about confidence for I know that anyone can develop it.  Once one has attained a level of confidence then the next personality qualities will emerge if change is what you want. 

It is very common these days to see social media advertising ways to succeed in business.   Most suggest you ensure that those close to you (family) share your vision.  This so they, or you, do not suffer from your determination and is undoubtedly wise.   The advocates all tell you that you must be prepared to take risks.  They all insist on Focus, and Action too.  Almost universally they proclaiming that you must spend every working hour concentrating on what you want to achieve.  Whilst this latter is appropriate for people whose intent is to be successfully financially, not quite so with a recognition of your life’s goals and interests.

Heading off in what might be a different direction can be risky.  A memory, when I was at university, is ingrained, for my lecturer marked me down seriously in a statistics class, thus putting my degree at risk.   Not liking or understanding statistics I had gone off to find a way of overcoming the fear and ventured for the first ever time (for me) into discovering the possibilities of using computers! She was exceptionally disgusted! However, I had no idea at the time how relevant that venture was to be for me (and for my son who is now a wealthy computing consultant!).

I have long advocated focus and action, but I want to add persistence.  Some people already have these valuable attributes, but for others they must be learned: I had to learn them.

This leads me to declare that I am currently feeling exceptionally proud of myself for whilst my interest in crafts has been life long, my interest in computers started with that statistics class (My son was 10 years old so that is 40 years ago).  At that time my confidence level in all spheres of life was ‘nil’!

I have developed the interest in using computers as a tool over the years (learning computing languages has never interested me!) and have been increasingly interested in learning how to build websites (but always using content management platforms)   

Having decided that Clayaround (my current business) most certainly was worthy of a better website I chose to teach myself how to build a WordPress website.  It has been a massive learning curve overcoming problems (and fascinating and engrossing and frustrating) but I have finally achieved it.

What I am advocating is that you can choose to pursue any interest if you understand your own personality and potential capability.   In 1953 a philosopher called Ivan Illich advocated that young people will learn when they are ready to learn if they are given the resources to pursue their interests (he was pursuing his belief that schools are redundant).  In 1953 there were no such resources.  In 2024 there are not just the internet as a source for research, but also Ai as a massive time saver for that research.  We can learn anything if we choose to.   As a crafter, go out and realise your potential for there is unlimted help on the internet