5 Keys to Harness Your Inner Potential

On October 31, 2023 three IDF soldiers returned to Kfar Aza to plant an orange tree. On October 7, these soldiers were among the first to arrive to fight against the hundreds of Hamas terrorists that had infiltrated the kibbutz. When they arrived in their tank, they ran over a tree and destroyed it. Despite everything, they didn’t forget the tree and returned three weeks later to replant it themselves.

The Jewish People knows how to nurture hope in the harshest of times. In the aftermath of destruction, Jews believe in the power of beginning again and bringing back life. As Tu B’Shvat, the new year of the trees, approaches you can learn how to begin again and how to harness your hidden potential. Like the seeds of a tree, you have a wellspring of hidden potential waiting right below the surface to nurture and actualize its power.

In his book, Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things, Adam Grant delves into the immense strength and ability to grow that resides within everyone. Here are five lessons from his book – and from the trees – that can help you see your potential and begin again.

1. Measure your growth by how far you have come.

A tree’s growth can be seen by how far it has risen from the ground. Grant writes, “The true measure of your potential is not the height of the peak you’ve reached, but how far you’ve climbed to get there.” Don’t forget to look back and see how far you’ve grown. When the first sprouts push through the earth after a harsh winter, you don’t focus on how tall they are. You marvel that they’ve managed to push through the darkness and cold soil to reach for life. See your own growth in this light. You’ve come a long way from where you first began. Appreciate it!

2. Build your character skills.

Don’t confuse personality traits for your character. “It’s not about the traits you have,” Grant says, “it’s what you decide to do with them. Personality is your predisposition – your basic instincts for how to think, feel and act. Character is your capacity to prioritize your values over your instincts.” Just because a tree has strong roots does not mean it will automatically grow strong branches. The roots need to be fed, nourished and scaffolded much like your innate traits need to be nurtured to become character skills that you can use to grow. Discipline is a skill you can teach and learn. Kindness is a skill you can teach and learn. And like the branches of a tree, the more skills you build, the higher and further you can reach.

3. Seek discomfort.

The process of growth is inherently uncomfortable. A seed spends many months underground in the frozen darkness before it breaks open and begins to climb towards the surface. “The best way to accelerate growth is to embrace, seek and amplify discomfort. It’s not enough to simply accept minimal discomfort when it arises,” Grant writes. “Surprisingly, we’re better off actively seeking out discomfort.” Go towards what challenges you. Know that you can find your way through the darkness. You can start growing even when you can’t see how you will break through the surface.

Growth is imperfect. Trees don’t grow perfectly. Some days there is not enough sun. Other days there is not enough water. Sometimes they must grow in spurts, and sometimes they need to let go of old branches to grow new ones. If you wait until you are ready to face a new challenge, you may end up waiting forever.

4. Begin before you are ready.

Make mistakes! Grant writes, “I realized that success is not so much how close you come to perfection as how much you overcome along the way. Tolerating flaws isn’t just something that novices need to do – it’s part of becoming an expert and continuing to gain mastery.” Tolerate the flaws not just within you but within the process of growth itself. You grow not despite your mistakes but because you can use them to grow.

5. Absorb and adapt.

In the winter it looks like a tree has stopped growing. Its leaves are gone and its bare branches look fragile against the dark winter sky. But the roots of that tree are still absorbing and adapting far beneath the surface of the soil. When times are hard, absorb the nutrients that help you remain strong and able to adapt. “Resilience is a form of growth,” Grant writes. Being able to absorb the light and kindness around you and give it to others is a powerful form of growth.

The newly planted orange tree in Kfar Aza is the ultimate symbol of that kind of resilient growth, the hidden, powerful growth that is fueled by both faith and hope. As you celebrate the birthday of the trees and the coming of spring, learn to find new ways to reach for the light through the darkness. There is deep, beautiful potential within you and all around you. Look closely every day for the new green sprouts climbing their way through the ground. They can teach you to never stop climbing towards the light.