Becoming Who You Are: Why Don’t Most People Reach Their Potential? Creativity is dead, long live curation. These two seemingly unrelated topics actually have a common thread - the need to discover and express our true selves.

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Jul 06, 2023
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Becoming Who You Are: Why Don’t Most People Reach Their Potential? Creativity is dead, long live curation. These two seemingly unrelated topics actually have a common thread - the need to discover and express our true selves.
In today's society, we often find ourselves caught up in the constant cycle of surviving. We focus on meeting our basic needs and ensuring our physical survival. However, there is a deeper desire within us to thrive, to make something of ourselves beyond mere survival. This is what allows us to feel like we are living up to our true potential, our true self.
But why is it that most people never reach their potential? The answer lies in the complexity of our modern environment. Our lives have shifted from managing our physical bodies to moderating our consciousness. We are bombarded with information from our media devices, much of it false or useless. It becomes difficult to navigate through this sea of information and find our true values and purpose.
Differentiation and integration play a crucial role in reaching our potential. Differentiation is the process of discovering our individual values, while integration is the narrative or meaning that drives those values into our daily actions. Many people are integrated but not differentiated, meaning they haven't exposed themselves to the complexities of the world. On the other hand, some people are differentiated but not integrated, struggling to make their values cohere.
The democratization of information has been a great gift in the modern world. The internet and libraries give us access to an abundance of knowledge and answers. However, this abundance is only valuable if we learn to harness its potential. We must take the initiative to find the answers and have the courage to incorporate them into our lives.
This is where curation comes into play. The role of a curator is to sort through culture and show us what we need to know and why. Curation has always been about democratizing art and bringing it to different sections of society. It has the power to create a narrative, to connect old things with new things, and to give renewed meaning to the past. Brands have also embraced curation as a way to differentiate themselves and build relevance and equity. By curating their own products, they can create a unique aesthetic world that is difficult to replicate.
Curators also bridge the gap between different taste communities, introducing them to one another and creating something new and familiar. Curation turns items into collectibles and adds value by showing the importance of a brand's own curation. A good curator does the research, writes and edits, and doesn't just repost images. They find new angles on old things, connecting them with the present.
So, how can we apply these insights to our own lives and reach our potential? Here are three actionable pieces of advice:
- 1. Take the time to differentiate yourself. Explore the complexities of the world and expose yourself to new experiences and perspectives. This will help you discover your individual values.
- 2. Once you have differentiated yourself, work on integration. Find the narrative or meaning that drives your values and incorporate them into your daily actions. This will give you a sense of coherence and purpose.
- 3. Embrace curation in your own life. Find the things that resonate with you and curate your own aesthetic world. Connect old things with new things and give them renewed meaning and purpose.
In conclusion, reaching our potential and becoming who we truly are requires a combination of differentiation, integration, and curation. We must navigate through the complexities of the modern world, harness the abundance of information at our fingertips, and curate our own lives to create meaning and purpose. By doing so, we can thrive and live up to our true potential.
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