How do I stop feeling like I'm not living up to my potential?

The pressure to live up to your potential often comes from external messages about what success should look like rather than your own internal sense of fulfillment and meaning. This feeling typically develops when you've been labeled as gifted, talented, or destined for greatness, creating enormous pressure to achieve at a level that matches others' expectations. You might feel like you're disappointing people who believed in you or that you're wasting opportunities and abilities. The concept of potential itself can be problematic because it's often defined by conventional markers of success like career advancement, income, or recognition rather than personal satisfaction or contribution to others. You might be comparing your current life to some idealized version of what you think you should have achieved, ignoring the reality that life is complex and that there are many different ways to live meaningfully. Sometimes this feeling comes from pursuing paths that others chose for you rather than following your own interests and passions. You might be successful by external standards but feel empty because you're not doing what truly matters to you. It's important to question whose definition of potential you're using and whether it aligns with your actual values and desires. Consider that potential isn't a finite resource that you use up or waste - it's something that evolves throughout your life and can be expressed in countless ways. Many people find their true calling later in life, and there's no expiration date on growth, contribution, or fulfillment. Focus on what brings you meaningful life and joy rather than what looks impressive to others. Your worth isn't determined by how much of your potential you've actualized according to external standards, but by how authentically you're living according to your own values and contributing to the world in ways that feel meaningful to you.