The Gap Between The Person You Are And The Person You Are Capable Of Becoming

On the Morning Upgrade podcast, I invite entrepreneurs on to talk about their morning routines, personal development, and business challenges and growth. I’ve really enjoyed talking with people and connecting with so many great thinkers. In fact, it’s been a huge source of growth in my own personal development because it’s caused me to think and reflect–connecting and building relationships is super important! 

The Gap Between Who You Are and Who You Are Capable of Becoming

In episode #66 I interviewed Spencer Powell. As with most of my guests, I asked him about happiness and what that means to him…and he said something that resonated with me. He said that his happiness is connected to the gap between who he is now and who he wants to be. If that gap is huge, then it is harder to be happy. 

Spencer shared that he does what he can to keep the gap between who he is and who he can be as small as possible. This doesn’t necessarily mean that he will reach a point where he stops improving. What it means is that the closer he gets to the person he thinks he is capable of becoming, the marker changes, and he becomes aware that he’s capable of being more than he originally thought.

Ed Mylett talks about a similar concept. 

He said:

My dream is, that at the end of my life when I meet the man I could have become, the best version of myself… we are identical twins. For me–That is HEAVEN.

Who Could You Become if You Make Intentional Decisions?

It inspires me to think about who we are now and who we could be if we make different decisions and work harder. What if we were all intentional with our relationships, and how we made decisions?

I think a lot about who I am really capable of becoming. Let me ask you to think about that for yourself for a minute; or take some time to journal on it. If you got clear direction on your life and really visualized what you are capable of, how far off would you be from where you are now?

Personally, I really relate to Spencer on this concept. I’d say that most of my funks or unhappiness are directly related to my periods of low productivity…or if I’m not making tangible progress towards my goals (no matter how small).

What does this look like typically? Maybe you can relate:

• I’m not being the father I want to be for one reason or another.
• I’m not being intentional with my relationships in general.
• I’m making very little progress on important projects.
• I’m not handling conflict head on–instead, I’m running from it.
• I’m having a down month at Ballantine.

All the items above make my gap wider…they move me away from being the ideal version of myself…which puts me in a funk. 

Balance Living in the Moment and Thinking Towards the Future

But I do want to mention something here…while I think it is important to think about the person you can be one day, living in the present is also important. All we have is right now. You can’t undo the past, and your future is not guaranteed. 

All we have is the exact moment that we are living in right now. However, being aware of the gap between who we are and who we could become will impact the decisions that we make in the moment. It should determine the choices we are making in the present. 

The healthiest thing you can do is to marry living in the present with an awareness of what you’re capable of in the future. In my opinion, this is the magic formula for living a fulfilled and happy life. 

As you get older, the gap is going to naturally narrow as you work towards the ideal version of yourself. I know personally that I have achieved more than I had thought possible and I’m closer to what I’m capable of. But that doesn’t mean I have reached my full potential…and I’m not sure I ever will since I’m always investing in personal development. Plus, we’re all imperfect human beings…forever a work in progress for sure.

What Steps Do You Need to Take to Become Who You Want to Be?

My goal with this blog post isn’t necessarily to make you aware of happiness, but rather to make you aware of the gap. I want you to think about what that looks like in your own life. Have you ever stopped to really flesh out what you are capable of? Do you have a vision or picture of what you can be? What impact can you have on this world during the short time you are here?

Here are some action steps to help you start closing the gap:

1. Be intentional with your habits and decisions. 
2. Create new goals that push you to achieve things you didn’t think were possible. 
3. Think about, and visualize, the kind of person you want to be.
4. Measure how big the gap is between who you are now and who you are capable of becoming. 
5. Identify the weakest areas of your business, relationships, fitness, etc. 
6. Work to shrink the gap between who you are now and who you want to become. 
7. Practice gratitude every day, and take time to be present in the moment. 

I hope this blog got your wheels turning. Imagine if everyone on this planet identified their gap, and then worked daily to close it? Amazing!