Fulfillment

[tonywalt]

I agree with Mutatis and Neely. Not everyone with the intelligence and/or savvy want to live up to a potential, which is measured primarily in profiled achievement, money, and status. The sort of stress and pressure that comes with such position wears many down.

Let's say there are any number of intelligent and savvy litnetters capable of great things in the commerical world, but knowing what I know, they would not want that kind of job/position/business as they may not be comfortable or have the appetite for that level of stress, unease, pressure, and politics (I have a longer list but I will not bore you)- and believe me those conditions come with any high level position - even if your the proprietor.

I really admire those who figure out that happiness, contentment, and inner peace is much more important than the rat race.

[Buh4Bee]

We can talk about IQ and personality traits, but I also like to consider the environment someone grows up in. I believe in many cases, if a child is “nurtured” they will independently reach their full potential- whatever that is.

On the other hand, environment may have nothing to do with success or lack of success and such factors as IQ and personality traits could be considered. For example; “Wow! That person grew up in poverty in a broken home, and look, he became a senator.” On the other hand, “Look at that bum, he grew up with every possible hand out and still didn’t make anything of himself.” The one that makes it may be very smart and the one that doesn’t may be completely unmotivated, but it’s not an enviromental flaw.

To reach your full potential implies a finite time limit. Maybe say, by the time you are 35, you should have done something concrete with your life that you can measure in terms of achievements. (Such achievements may be getting that degree, successful career or a functional family.) What defines reaching one’s utmost potential is open for debate, but I think it is mostly measured by self-satisfaction. This I think is a kind of fulfillment- one that you can be arrogant and smug about. Why the hell not, you earned it.