Gary Keller: On Natural Ability and Achievement Ceilings

“Unless you absolutely know your capabilities and limitations, why would you entertain this kind of inner dialogue! Short of a personal visitation from the Creator, you’re unlikely ever to know the limits of your potential. So the question of whether you can or can’t do something someday should probably never be considered.”

The word potential is sweet as it sounds. One simply cannot figure out how capable they are unless exercising their true potential. Interesting enough to say that only successful who have consistently shattered their ‘achievement ceilings’ know the true meaning of potential as they did not care about their end results. With that said, there’s nothing wrong with imagining things as it opens so many wonderful doors. However, imagining that ‘I can’t do it’ is simply regressive. As Gary Keller, beautifully states in his ‘The Millionaire Real Estate Agent’ that ‘until you try, you can’t possibly know what you can or can’t do’. Here’s a quote from the book.

“Unless you absolutely know your capabilities and limitations, why would you entertain this kind of inner dialogue! Short of a personal visitation from the Creator, you’re unlikely ever to know the limits of your potential. So the question of whether you can or can’t do something someday should probably never be considered.”

‘Self-doubt’ based on a ‘myth’ is just a misuse of imagination. Pondering about a business idea over and over again is not going to yield any results unless that ‘first step’ is taken. Successful businessmen, for instance, are myth-busters as they progress ahead and do not worry about the results. Risk-taking is all about taking that ‘first step’.

While reading the book, Mr. Keller consistently reminds readers that too much contemplation of an idea makes it difficult to execute. And he focuses on the ‘implementation before innovation’ concept, which vividly hints at how entrepreneurs-to-be try to innovate every step of the way. This creates confusion and does not allow them to move forward. As a result, they fall behind. The key to launch a successful business is to follow a ‘proven model’ and then innovate once the business reaches a certain level of maturity. Shun ‘innovation before implementation’ as it leads to muddy waters. Try and find out the natural way of doing a business and innovate once needed.

“Big models lead to big success. With proven models, avoid placing creative innovation ahead of effective implementation. Know your models before you personalize them.”

To sum it up, trying to explore the uncharted territories of your natural ability without implementing your idea is more like thinking about eating food without actually trying to have some. Simply put, have an idea, implement it based on a ‘proven model’, innovate once the business is set, and consistently break ‘achievement ceilings’. This is the only way to learn about your potential. Just thinking about it does not serve any purpose.