Potential

Liebe Lucy,

A few days ago I had a cuppa and a catch up with one of my closest friends whom I don't see nearly enough. This friend is incredibly intelligent and a conversation arose where she said if she felt she could, she'd love to be a professional chef and open a cake shop selling top of the range cakes. She said the reason she didn't feel she could do this is that she would feeling like she was wasting her academic potential.

But this got me thinking. Do we always need to fulfill our potential? I talk a lot about potential, especially when it comes to academics. I've always been the type of person who aims for the top grade and puts as much energy as possible into achieving it because I know I'd hate to look back on this time in a few years and think I didn't fulfill my potential. But would that be so bad?

What if I didn't fulfill my academic potential but instead went on to do something I loved more than anything? Something that has nothing to do with any of the subjects I study in school. Would that still be a waste of potential? And what constitutes a 'waste'? Is it not achieving what you are capable of regardless of the circumstances or is it only a waste when the person themselves is unhappy with their performance?

Ultimately, I think my conclusion is that, for me, it would only be a waste of potential if I was unhappy with myself and never found another route. I think if that incredibly intelligent friend decided that she didn't want to go to university and wanted to follow the love that she has, it would not be a waste because it would make her happy.

What do you think?

Lucy x