August 14, 2015
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High Potential

In second grade, I was in the “Discovery Program” for high potential kids.

In fifth grade, I was selected as top pitching prospect at Georgia Tech baseball camp.

In seventh grade, I was picked to participate in the Duke TIP program for high potential students.

In my junior year of college, I was selected for the two-year Leonard Leadership Scholars Program for high potential developing leaders.

At 24, I was selected as an Atlanta Global Shaper for my leadership potential.

At some point, potential is no longer the goal. The potential has to be realized for it to matter. We could spend our entire lives seeking recognition and “high-potential” praise.

But what actually matters is the change we make in the world. The way we move people. The body of work we create.

I don’t want to be high potential. I don’t want to rely on getting picked for my sense of self worth.

If you’ve been told you’re a high potential person all your life… I’ve got news: so is every other person on the planet. The difference, in the end, is how we use that potential.

The work itself, and the change it creates, is the recognition I want.

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