Why Most People Never Reach Their Full Potential

Subject: Error With Grades

Good morning Dr. Baker,

I hope you're doing well. I'm reaching out because I noticed that I currently have a B in your class. Based on the syllabus and the total points available, I should have around a 90%, which would be an A.

Is there something I’m missing? Can we clarify this?

Thank you,

Jason

I sent that email three weeks before the end of the second semester of my junior year of college. The next day, I showed up to class and approached my professor to follow up.

As soon as he saw me, he started laughing—not just a chuckle, but full, audible laughter. He laughed so hard he had to take off his glasses and bend over his lectern.

Once he composed himself, he looked at me and said,"I presume you're here about that B. Yeah, you missed a few attendance quizzes, so you have an 87%, not a 90."

I was confused. He wasn’t allowed to give attendance quizzes, was he? I had already earned enough points for an A. So, I had told him I was “no longer prioritizing” attending class. The attendance quizzes felt unfair.

Seeing the look on my face, he continued: "Remember when you told me you knew exactly how many points you needed to get an 89.5%? That’s all well and good—but that doesn’t mean you can stop showing up. You may have earned the best grade, but that doesn’t mean you’ve become your best."

In the moment, I was frustrated. I thought Dr. Baker was trying to rob me of the A I had earned. But looking back, I now understand: he didn’t care about the grade. He cared about whether I was fulfilling my potential.

Letter grades measure standardized progress—but Dr. Baker knew some students could do better than an A or worse than an F. He knew that given the opportunity, most of us could grow far beyond what the academic system measures.

When we are capable of 110%, why do so many of us settle for an 89.5?

Everyone is unique, but here are a few common reasons people fall short of fulfilling their potential:

Lack of Clarity

Many people have a vague or scattered vision for their future.Potential needs purpose to activate. Without direction, our energy gets diluted.

Lack of Guidance

Most people are one mentor away from doing something extraordinary.All it takes is someone who sees your value and says, “You’re capable of more.”

Lack of Consistency

Fulfilling your potential is an endurance race, not a sprint.It’s not flashy. It’s not instant.But it’s built day by day, through small, consistent effort.

I was so focused on what I could get away with, I almost missed the chance to become who I could be. I'm grateful for Dr. Baker’s challenge and the lesson he gave me:

Don’t settle for what’s easy when you’re capable of what’s excellent.

Consider this newsletter your push to stop chasing the grade—and start becoming the person you’re meant to be.

Fact

According to a survey from LinkedIn, fear is the #1 reason people avoid growth opportunities.

Action

Do one hard thing a week. Remember, growth lives in the stretch zone- not the panic zone, but beyond comfort.

Question

Nothing is pleasurable or uplifting all of the time. What struggle or sacrifice are you willing to tolerate to fulfill your potential?

Quote

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

- Aristotle