Potential. We are referring to the unrealized ability that can develop into future success. Sure, it’s just a word, and many might not go past its definition, but when using potential as a description, it becomes a standard label. As athletes, we become one with the word potential because it is used often. It describes players, what they can be in the future, and how they can dominate. But again, these are just words until proven. In the mind of an athlete, we are susceptible to labels and the determination of what our future will be like, sometimes engulfing our minds. Our mindset is likely to change, positively or negatively; to some, it truly messes with their mentality. The potential is used when you are not good enough but will label you and your limits and say you have the potential to be great. When these remarks are told to one another, the mind can only ponder the what ifs should’ve, could’ve, and would’ve fulfilled minds and later overtook them until they stopped.

As it is, the mind of an athlete is loaded with doubts, concerns, triumphs, etc. The unique path that every athlete goes through fluctuates throughout playing a sport. A sport that is just a game that can take you beyond your endeavors. The innocence of putting your baggy uniform on every Saturday at the age of eight later becomes a  dread. Sadly, this common perception manages to affect the mental capability of most athletes. These strong emotions are caused by the labeling done to one another. It is inevitable when attempting to overcome “labeling,” but my words are not here to persuade one’s thinking. But to acknowledge the destructive connotation that comes with the word “potential.” The mind is an extremely powerful part of the human body, and with that being said, the ability to remain mentally tough becomes difficult when labels are constantly repeated. You see, there is beauty in overcoming such obstructive situations in one’s unique path despite one word causing such immensity.

The scariest part is not being able to live up to that potential. Have you ever heard the term “wasted potential” before? Well, that is a perfect example of how much danger a straightforward word carries. Tension rises when labels are made, athlete or not. Potential does not just have an impact on athletes but on anybody who ever walks this earth. The word carries an immense amount of baggage. Therefore, it could be about a relationship or even the lack of execution on one’s part. This word is not specifically for one group of people; it has deep meaning, and as humans, we have events occurring in our lives that one word does not fill the mind. Now, although the ripple effect one word has on many, to some, it is seen as motivation. It can be that one little piece of hope that many cling onto, that single piece of what can be interpreted as ambition or support, causing a person to take off. Almost like a rocket or a spring, those who see it as motivation use that as their spring to reach or maybe even surpass their potential.

The vast amount of power words can hold is both amusing and beautiful. The inability to realize how much the words we use affect one another is something we, as humans, have failed to do. Understanding the impact potential can make one think about when it is being used. Not to change, but it makes one believe honestly about the deeper meaning. As humans, we communicate and express ourselves in many different and unique ways, and through that, we lose sight of what words mean. As much as beauty is behind our words, there can be just as much ugly. Now, you can use potential in so many ways, and it is not considerably an ugly word, but it can carry pain and negativity. This will remain repetitive, just like a hamster wheel, and it’s not a significant issue genuinely affecting our lives. It is simply a word that carries so much meaning in this world.

Do know that words do not define who you are or what you can achieve. Allowing labels to overcome our minds should be changed because we are more significant than what any coach, friend, teacher, or peer has placed our ceiling at. You control your destiny even if it doesn’t feed our comforts.