Forever Untapped

The other day me and a friend were having a very intense, but good conversation. The things that were said will stay between us. But the topic of potential came up. Potential is an overused word, but for valid reasons. I have heard that word used to describe myself too many times. At what point is potential realized and no longer considered potential? Do I judge myself by my own expectations or by the expectations of others? I don't think that I will ever realize my full potential because I stop myself from doing things that I can do well that I don't want to do. But through the eyes of someone else, I may be just starting to realize my potential. So many people expect more out of me than I'm doing now. I'm still young, but old enough to be doing so much more. Sometimes I put the expectations of others ahead of my own because I don't want to let anyone down. At some point I going to have to stop accepting that I'm letting MYSELF down. I am my own worst critic. I beat myself up everyday for going to work everyday and doing the same job as someone with nowhere near as much potential or talent as I have. Even if I try to assert myself I show what I can do, I have to answer to someone who thinks they have all the answers and don't want to listen to anything I have to say. That is probably something that I will always have to deal with. I often hear people say that they don't believe they are better than anybody....you will never hear me say that. I am better than somebody. People only say that because they don't want to be seen as arrogant. So what? I'm arrogant, confident, whatever you want to call it. I know what I can do and I'm not going to deny myself to spare someone else's confidence. At the same time, I'm not externally arrogant so you won't see me belittle someone or anything like that. But I know who I am and I know who I can become. The first Black president? Probably not, but I will be more than I am now. I have to be......