I am sure you know what coupons are and most of us love to have them. When they are for free, our love suddenly multiplies. I am no different; I was awarded coupons worth 4500 bucks as a token of appreciation for the good work I did at my workplace. As usual, next day I and my wife headed to the shopping mall to redeem them. I asked my wife, “What do you want to buy?” she replied, “I don’t want to buy anything, you can use all the coupons”, such a lovely wife. We entered the mall. My wife slowly holding onto my hand, asked, “Can I buy an eyeliner?”, made me smile. My wife spent 1000 bucks and I ended up buying nothing, contrary to the way we started. I thought I would redeem the other 3500 next time we visit the mall, but then what happened?

I forgot about them and they expired, 3500 worth coupons were totally wasted. I felt bad, really bad because I earned those coupons. They were awarded for my hard work. I tried to find out if I can extend their validity; I spoke to the coupon provider and learnt that I can reactivate them by paying some nominal amount, relieved that they are not wasted. Have you ever been in such a situation? Have you ever left a coupon that you earned expire without using its complete value?

Think for a moment…

What about the coupon called “Life”?

The great American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once wrote, “The great tragedy of an average person is that he goes into his grave with his music still in him”. True. How many die with so much potential unused? How many die without proving to this world what they can be? How many die without showing their loved ones what more they can give and how much more they can love?

Life is a coupon with value and validity. The value called “our potential” and validity called “age”.

One day our life coupon expires, but by then will we redeem its complete value? When I think of unused potential, I recollect a story written by Mark Twain. The story goes this way…

A man died and saw Saint Peter at the gates of the Heaven. Realizing that Saint Peter was a wise and knowledgeable individual, the man approached him and asked, “Saint Peter, I have been interested in military history for many years. Tell me who was the greatest general of all time?”

Saint Peter replied, “Oh, that’s a simple question. It’s the man right over there.”

The man perplexed and responded saying, “You must be mistaken, I knew that man on earth and he was just a common laborer”.

Saint Peter with a little smile on his face said, “That’s right my friend, he would have been the greatest general of all time, if he had been a general”.

Great story, I wish everyone can meet Saint Peter before they die, and know what they can become if they use their true potential. Doesn’t it hurt to live entire life as a common laborer even by having the potential to be the greatest military general? May be not because we will never know what we are capable of until we try to find out but unfortunately very few actually try to push the limits and find their true value. Don’t we feel wasted if we understand this fact very late in life?

Now, let us try to understand, “What will you be if you use your complete potential?” Will you be more knowledgeable? Will you earn more money? Will you be more famous? Will you be happier? Yes to every single question, then why are you not using it? I know the mind comes up with all possible reasons that seem to be valid. An excusing mind might say, “I don’t have the right circumstances to be at my full potential”, an escaping mind might say, “This is my complete potential, I am already using all I have. I am blessed only with this”, but am sure your mind says, “why not push myself towards my true potential one step at a time?” Reasons can be many and complicated but results are only two ways. One, if you understand the fact that, irrespective of your race, country, creed, gender, and physical aspects, you have immense potential and put it to use from now, you can change the world around you, you can be what you want to be. Otherwise, as the great American poet said, you will go to your grave with music still in you.

The first step to succeed is to simply accept that you have potential to succeed. Take your first step, once you believe that you have the potential, you understand that you can be successful, once you understand that, you put things into action, and when you act with a goal, success is inevitable. God is great, he did not fix your potential, it grows with hard work and you can keep on redeeming. Work hard, grow in value and make sure you redeem before the life coupon expires.

Will you redeem your true value today?