Laura Gaynor, 20, Film student
“Be Your Best” takes only a tiny portion of my week. And yet, despite this, I’m already noticing changes in my life.
The main commitment is in the form of e-learning. This involves watching videos of the Potential Life leaders speaking to the tune of 1980’s synths. And while the cheesy corporate style of the videos makes me twitch; I cannot ignore their relevance.
They have a totally new way of inciting change: asking you what you’re good at. It is unlike anything I’ve done before.
I think we have a tendency in Ireland to play stuff down and put success down to luck. Maybe it’s not having the guts to be open about our strengths. Perhaps it’s a misplaced fear in positive self-talk. I don’t know. But I think we can be modest to a fault.
All these old habits come to pass when you do a project that asks you, what are your strengths? What energizes you?
It seems unnatural to answer these questions. And yet, to fulfil the manifesto: be your best - it’s unavoidable. It’s strange. It’s new. It’s important.
To supplement these activities, we are asked to try daily exercises. These, essentially, get you to analyse times when you did everything right as opposed to wrong to help you learn what you do when you’re being your best.
We are brought up focusing on our weaknesses, and I think it holds us back.
However, after you transcend that polite self- criticism you’re ready for the next stage of the game. It’s what Potential Life call “letting the genie out of the bottle”.
This requires more than self-reflection. I was shown some fairly shocking data on how little I exercise. It’s no surprise at all. I haven’t gone looking for my runners since I gave up kickboxing in 2013. Although I will have to concede that research has a much stronger argument than mine.
The closest I’ve come to a workout in the last two weeks was hoovering my room. I’m still not entirely sure what form this exercise will take but sooner or later I’m going to have to go looking for my runners. I’ll let you know how it goes.
