A BOOK REVIEW

MAXIMIZING
YOUR
POTENTIAL
WRITTEN BY: DR. MYLES MUNROE

Reviewed by:

NERIE JOYCE A. MANTE, RN

 CHAPTER FIVE

CULTIVATING AND FEED YOUR POTENTIAL

This chapter was opened with a meaningful story of an old woman who
turned her kids playroom into greenhouse. This started when all of her children left
home to live their own; missing her kids makes her depressed until one day a friend
introduced her to clippings. The habit goes on for a year until she filled the original
fields has been field and the new was being filled. It was a composition of both
success and failures specially when not all plants grow. She heard different
comments to quit but instead she allowed herself to study more and more about this
newfound adventure but instead of quitting she keeps on reading to nurture her
skills and knowledge until she gets famous and was able to share to others the
adventures she has learned and cultivated for over years.
This chapter has one of the best introduction, it jive together for plants are
the perfect example of cultivation but the introductory story gives another meaning
to cultivation and that is how we can apply it to our lives.
Munroe is simply telling us that there’s no easy way to maximize your
potential but to cultivate it, and as you cultivate it, problems, heartaches, failures,
disappointments are inevitable but it’s not a reason for quitting. Maximizing your
potential is not an overnight change; it takes time.
If you continue reading the chapter, Munroe said that God created everything
with the ability to reproduce and be fruitful and he expounded this further by the
statement: “Potential doesn’t guarantee performance, and performance is not
ensured by plans and dreams.”
Human as we are, we have dreams and plans for our lives. As early as
preschool we are encouraged to determine what we wanted to be when we grow up,
but Munroe said that it doesn’t end there, because you have to cultivate you are able
to bear fruit of your dreams. If as a nurse, you’ve been dreaming to become a Chief
Nurse of one of the largest Hospital in town, then you have to work for it as early as
now, you have to feed your mind, your physical being, your mental health and every
single cell in your body, because dreams can only be fulfilled if your try to make
yourself worthy of your dreams.
Munroe also reminded us with how God created the earth; how God made all
things beautiful but He saw that there’s no one to work on the ground to keep it
beautiful, so He created a man of His likeness to nurture what He has created. It
simply shows that we are created to grow; we were not born to remain baby; we
need to run the race in order to win the prize, that’s how we can maximize our
potential by simply cultivating and feeding it.
There will be times when our potential are under attack, just like what
happened to the story mentioned above, people around us will always look on what
we are capable outside, but they will never see what we are capable on the inside,
this shows how ill human values now a days. Munroe even stated and example of
how we prohibited shooting a flamingos but human kill their own babies through
abortion or if we’re going to apply it on our Filipino culture; we never allow man to
hit animals like dogs but we allow man to abuse their own kids.
Therefore, cultivating potential is not just a work on the outside but also on
the inside. We need to actively keep our self-moving higher but on the same way
keeping ourselves on the ground. This is how values are important in Maximizing
our potentials.
 SHARE YOUR POTENTIAL

This chapter, again, started with a beautiful story. A music story where a music conductor
created a music score that taught his musician a lesson. He first provided a music score
where they can have rest and play, which they find it unorganized, but the second score,
with the same notes except the rests, it turns into a beautiful piece where everyone was
given a chance to show their talent. The conductor did this to show that every musician is
important part of orchestra.
According to the writer, this kind of melody is the way where potential is used. The
weigh of our potential is an individual matter; but meant to be shared. Sharing your
potential is a God’s way of bringing to pass His plans and purpose in His plan.
Monroe said that before we shared our potential, God first shared His potential.
When He created the whole world and everything in it, including you and me; that is where
God chose to share His love and grace to each of us. He is an omnipotent, all powerful and
all-knowing, He can exist without us, yet He chose to create us and the beautiful nature that
surrounds us to sustain us and to make us responsible over them. Everything and everyone
has its own purpose, no one was created through mistake, and everything and everyone
exist for a reason. God shares His potential to me, He chose to create us in His own image,
not with the image of animals or trees. He created us for himself and He finds satisfaction
with us, He sees everything is good after He created us.
In the same way, we too, must know how to share our potential to create harmony
in this world. The emptiness that is within can only be filled when we chose to extend our
potential to others.
1. WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT YOURSELF

What I love most about myself are the imperfections of me- the things that are
ugly, the emotional and physical scars, my weaknesses, and my limited
capabilities. I love these things because this is the wholeness of my being that
leads to transformation; I love these things because my family and my real
friends loved me in spite of these things.

Above all, I love these things because it shows who I am not in the eyes of many
people, but in the eyes of God. His love for me is beyond my imagination, it is
beyond human comprehension; these things show that I am in need of a Savior.

2. WHAT GETS YOU TRULY EXCITED ABOUT LIFE?

The things that excites me about life is the fact that this life is temporary yet a
privilege. Every morning is a new beginning, everyday is a chance to move
forward and achieve your goals; the ride may not always be smooth but I certain
that even pain and hardship is temporary.

3. WHAT ARE YOUR TOP 5 VALUES? ARE YOU (HONESTLY) LIVING THOSE
VALUES EVERYDAY?
a. Committed. When I was given a task I always make sure that I give
my best to it. I am not as well as anybody, but the competitive in me (I
compete with myself not with others) makes me want to do it in the
best way.
b. Kind-Hearted. This is me, I can easily be swayed by those emotional
incident, my heart get easily affective of sad incident and m
4. WGAT MOTIVATES YOU TO DO YOUR BEST?

What motivate me most are the pain, disappointments and loneliness. Through
the years these things has been my reason why I am striving so hard. For
example, whenever I feel lonely, instead of whining and crying, I just think of my
task-may it be a task from work or school- and do it. By doing this, I was
reminded that there are a lot of things that waits for me in the future, that my
present loneliness or feeling can never pull me down.

5. WHAT ONE THING HAVE YOU NOT DONE THAT YOU REALLY WANT TO DO?
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

Travel outside the Philippines at least once a year. I wanted to invest memories
in travelling because I believe there’s growth when you are outside your comfort
zone. And also, it can help you to learn other things through the lives of other
people. You may be able to see the other perspective in life.
What am I waiting for? Maybe I’m just waiting to settle everything. I wanted to
just at least give back to my parents. I wanted to spend my more time with them
than to satisfy first my self.

6. RIGHT NOW, AT THIS VERY MOMENT, WHAT DO YOU WANT MOST? WHAT
ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?

At this very moment, I wanted to be the best person I can be. As a nurse, I wanted to
be a passionate nurse but at the same time pursuing dreams to escalate to higher
level. I wanted to be the asset in the institution I am working in.

Right now, my goal is to finish this masteral course so I can move forward and study
more but at the same time, I am actively participating in the growth of NMH, I am
dreaming for NMH and working to make that dream happen.