The pot is the problem
I have a plant at home that never reached its potential. It wasn’t sick. It wasn’t broken. It was simply in a pot—a beautiful, limiting container. No matter how much I watered or cheered it on, the roots circled the edges and growth stalled. If I’d planted it in the earth, it would have stretched, thickened, and become itself.
Most people live like that plant. Not because they lack potential, but because they’ve been placed in a pot—an environment, story, or expectation that’s too small.
1) Who put you in the pot?
As kids, we inherit limits: well-meaning parents, teachers, and culture hand us frames like “Stay safe,” “Don’t be too much,” “People like us don’t do that.” Those lenses become a box. Unlike the plant, though, you can pick yourself up and re-plant.
Key truth: Your potential isn’t the problem. The pot is.
2) Big goals don’t start with a perfect “how”
Most people won’t go after bold outcomes because they can’t see the whole path. They wait for signs and proof. When they don’t find any, they decide it can’t be done and shrink back to what’s familiar.
Plants don’t need a map—just good ground. People are the same: when you choose better ground (a bigger environment and belief), the how starts to reveal itself.
3) Repotting yourself: from box to earth in 4 moves
A) Spot your pot
Write the exact story that keeps you contained:
“If I delegate, they’ll drop the ball and it’s on me.”
“Money is hard for people like us.”
“I need permission before I can lead.”
B) Break the rim
Use a bridge belief that loosens the container:
“I’m open to believing I can grow beyond this box.”
“Small, smart risks are how I expand my roots.”
C) Choose better ground
Upgrade your environment and inputs:
Rooms where growth is normal (mentors, communities, books, podcasts).
Systems that fit your next size (calendar blocks, budget buckets, role clarity).
Boundaries that protect sunlight (sleep, food, no-phone hours).
D) Let the “how” emerge (B.E.A.M.)
Believe: One line: “I’m building ____ by ____.”
Envision: 90-second snapshot of it already real.
Act: One 15-minute lead action today.
Measure: Track the micro-evidence you created. Repeat.
Roots don’t grow from thinking—they grow from reaching.
4) Example — From pot to earth
Pot: “People like me don’t lead.”
Bridge: “I’m open to leading one small initiative.”
Ground: Join a leadership circle + block 30 mins weekly for skill reps.
B.E.A.M. this week: Pitch a 10-minute team huddle format; gather feedback; book two mentor coffees.
A month later, your environment, skills, and identity are bigger—and so is your life.
5) Reflection prompts
What’s the smallest pot you still live inside? Who handed it to you?
What’s one boundary or environment shift that would feel like earth?
What 15-minute lead action can you take today that stretches your roots?
Leave the Pot, Plant on Purpose
Download the Leap-Without-the-How Planner (B.E.A.M.) and join my weekly Purpose Letter—bite-size prompts to keep you expanding.
You were never meant to loop your roots around a small circle. Choose bigger ground. The rest—the branches, the fruit, the view—will come.
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