The Power of Potential
By Tommy Franks

Have you ever looked at the seed of a pine cone? Even though it is only a seed, it has the POTENTIAL to be a FOREST. What do you see when you look at this seed? Do you see a forest or only a simple tree? Everything in the whole wide world has POTENTIAL.

What is "Potential"? It is dormant ability, reserved power, untapped strength, unused SUCCESS. Potential never retires. Most people die without ever developing their FULL potential. No wonder it has taken us so long to develop our natural resources.

Did you know that some of our forefathers have robbed us? That's right. Some of them have robbed us blind! They died with songs, books, inventions, discoveries, sermons, medical knowledge, and talents and took them to their graves without giving them to us. They have robbed this generation of their latent ability. A man or woman has no right to die and go to his/her grave without developing those new discoveries or medical cures that were given to them long before they passed away. Some of them had the potential for great service to humanity, but just simply decided not to do it. They died with these great ideas, inventions, and medical cures locked up on the inside of them. How tragic it is when unused and unreleased ability and potential go to the grave without action and development.

What now? We live and learn from the mistakes of others. Failure is not the absence of success. FAILURE IS THE ABSENCE OF TRYING. The person who says it can't be done is normally the person who is standing in the way of the person who is doing it.

I believe our generation will maximize their full Potential. We will do it. We will win. Why? Because this generation has "zeal" which means: Eager desire, earnest enthusiasm, provoked, to be moved, heat, passion, energy, drive, indignation, and fervent.

We also have "fervor" which means: Heat, warmth, hot, boiling, glowing, earnest, zeal, intensity of feeling, fiery, hot‑brained, fervent, fierce, passionate, enthusiasm.

DARE TO BELIEVE in YOURSELF. As a human being, you were wonderfully made in your mother's womb. Did you know that you are 80% water or fluid, 20% calcium, iron, carbon, lime, fiber, and tissue; that you have 263 bones, 970 miles of blood vessels, 20,000 hairs in your ears alone; that you have 10 million nerves and nerve endings, 600 million air cells in the lungs? Did you also know that your heart beats 4200 times an hour and pumps 24,000 pounds of blood every 24 Hours? DARE TO BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!

Instead of being a teacher, perhaps YOU need to open a school. Instead of being a clerk, perhaps you should own the store. Instead of being the doorman, perhaps you should own the hotel. What's the point? The point is: You can be what you want to be. You can do what you want to do, but you gotta believe in yourself first.

You are given POTENTIAL at birth. It is not determined by circumstances or people. Its PURPOSE is to grant you the ability to obtain the greatest quality of life possible. Nothing on this green earth can take the place of developed potential. TALENTS, ABILITY and HARD WORK have been released upon this generation. EDUCATION alone will not do it, but a determined commitment in developing your potential through education, hard work, and ability will bring you untold SUCCESS. The only person that can stop you is: "you".