“Here comes that dreamer!” (Genesis 37:19 NLT) Those are the words spoken of Joseph by his brothers in the Bible. Joseph had a dream of being a great leader in his nation. His dream was based on his God-given potential and it was all a part of God’s masterpiece plan for Joseph.

Having a dream and being full of potential alone is not enough. Had Joseph not taken action, his potential would have stalled at “here comes that dreamer”. But it didn’t because he was willing to take the necessary action that each of us needs to take to reach our God-given potential as God’s masterpieces.

Dedicate Yourself To Continual Growth

I remember as a young teenage musician, I play the piano, a concert pianist who I considered my hero came to town to do a concert. I had the privilege of being able to have dinner with him after the concert. In our conversation I asked him if he ever practiced any more now that he had made it and was playing all over the world. At the time I was practicing 4 hours a day and was hoping to be able to not have to do that within a few years. To my surprise he went on to tell me that not only did he play concerts daily but he did indeed still keep a very vigorous daily practice schedule. When I asked him why, because I thought he was so great and didn’t need to practice, he responded by telling me about how he was still growing as a musician and still had so much to learn. He was making progress every day.

Those who reach their potential in this life know and understand the importance of continual growth and progress. Joseph never stopped growing, even though he was imprisoned for something he didn’t do, and he developed his leadership skills in prison. Genesis tells us this about his time in prison: “Before long, the warden put Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners and over everything that happened in the prison. The warden had no more worries, because Joseph took care of everything. The Lord was with him and caused everything he did to succeed.” (Genesis 39:22-23 NLT) He was dedicated to continual growth regardless of his circumstances. You need to develop that same attitude, regardless of where you are now compared to where you dream of being.

Begin Today

I love this quote from Napoleon Hill, he said : “It’s not what you are going to do, but it’s what you are doing now that counts.” The secret to reaching your potential is growth and the secret to growth is to take action today and every day for the rest of your life. Here are a few truths about growth to compel you to begin today:

• Growth does not automatically happen. Growth requires being intentional.
• You must grow today to unleash tomorrows potential because tomorrow is too late.
• You alone own the responsibility of your growth. If you are beyond child-hood, no one else is responsible for you.

The secret to reaching your potential is to start growing right now and keep growing until the day of your death. Regardless of the mistakes of your past or the obstacles you face in the future, you have potential. Move past it all and live today as the masterpiece God created you to be! Because of his commitment to his own personal growth to realize his potential, Joseph went from “here comes that dreamer” to this: “So Joseph took charge of the entire land of Egypt.” (Genesis 41:45 NLT)

Next Step:

Get started today with growing to reach your potential by reading Joseph’s inspiring life story of potential and growth in Genesis 37 – Genesis 41. You will see him suffer incredible trials and tribulations, face insurmountable obstacles and yet still continue to grow and ultimately live his God-given potential as God’s masterpiece. If Joseph can do it so can you!