How Easily Does Your Social Mindset See Potential?

Perceptive or myopic? This is how you find out.

One look and you instantly see if something has potential or not. You easily see value or profitability. You see through things, especially the prospects of something new being introduced in the market even if it hasn't been proven worth something yet. That's being perceptive. Are you perceptive or do you always need proofs first?

Photo by Hermes Rivera on Unsplash.

On the other hand, myopic is when you're unable to see things until they're up-close, sometimes too close to do anything about them anymore--like dodge from harm or grab an opportunity when it first appears. You don't see good or bad a mile away so you need to get so close first, but then you find things out too late. Are you myopic? Then you're prone to being victimized.

Myopic Folks Never Take Risks

Myopic folks very seldom take risks and they think it's an advantage. And indeed many times it is. Caution often puts you in the right place. Myopics never put a foot in unless they're absolutely sure what's in store. To see is to believe. Sigurista. Their "faith" is based on what is seen. They fear stepping out in faith. 

But truth is, there's nothing sure in this world. If you can't take risks, you'd always be a step or two behind everything and everyone. You let daring people jump in first to test the waters and wait and see. It's a safe zone, but a bit too safe at times that you're always the last guy to know. And by then it's already too late.

Anyway, the last I looked in the bible, faith is seeing and being sure of the unseen. If you need to see proof first and call it faith, you're missing the whole point. Watch this:

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for (or "see" in our minds) and assurance about what we do not see. [Hebrews 11] 

Spiritual Potentials 

There is a right time to make sure about things or being a sigurista. Like, making sure a belief or idea is in God's Word before being sold out entirely to it. But having second thoughts about something already clear in Scriptures? Like, performing on-the-spot signs and wonders or doing exactly as Jesus did? A lot of believers still have reservations and cannot imagine the supernatural taking place, especially if it's them doing it. See how shortsighted? They need to see proofs or some theological basis or proven formula accepted by the mainstream. Moreover, they cannot see it's value today, thinking it optional. 

Yes, they believe miracles happened in bible times, but they fail to see their real potential today. They cannot step out in faith because they're short-sighted or unimaginative. Worse, they think it's something they can do without in ministry. Even if they know it's Scriptural, they want to see human theology endorsing it first (to them, human theology takes precedence over God's Word). Consequently, they fail to see the real value of God's Word today. They cannot believe heaven can happen NOW.

Another thing, they cannot see the potential of house churches, even if all the apostles did were house-church ministries. Jesus did his ministry in remote places, beside lakes or hills. He and his apostles never had religious buildings or facilities but they turned the world upside down. Church buildings were never a problem, never constructed. They never prayed for building funds. One look at house churches in the Book of Acts and you see their potential at once--and the uselessness of church buildings and nice altars. But most believers can't see this and can't imagine ministry without them. Their myopia confines them to the mindset of the world.

Investment Potentials

Business savvy folks easily see a profitable business, whether it's a new idea or yet to be proven to work. They don't need proofs or surefire formulas. If they get an insight of how it can work they invest pronto, then get to the nitty-gritty later. I know a lot of folks hate this, but when network marketing first came in the early 1990s, pioneer networkers caught the idea at once. It was still in raw form, with lots of room for improvement, but they bought the idea and invested. They made lots of mistakes, but eventually made lots of money. They know what works when they see one. 

Richard Branson, British billionaire, entrepreneur and business magnate, said:

If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you're not sure you can do it, say yes. Then learn how to do it later.

Yup, costly mistakes and failures are okay as long as you learn things and mature.

I blog and sell my own e-books. If I had listened to people who tried to dissuade me, I'd never have done anything about blogging and digital products and surely regret it. Don't place your future in the hands of those who fail to see the potential of your dreams. They pretend to look everywhere for the break they need, when fact is it's always been there sitting right under their noses. A lot of my fellow web content writers stuck with writing for somebody else and getting a fixed pay for it. They said it was safer. 

Everyone's Dumb at the Outset

In everything, all of us know nothing at first. Even with plain walking and running, initially we knew nothing about them and it was too risky to try when we were still toddlers. But even kids know it's stupid to stick to the crib, not trying to stand up and walk just because it's too risky. So they try and try no matter how many times they fall and bump their head. It's how life works--taking risks.

To perceptive folks, all things can be learned, and with knowledge the risk lessens. Danger can be avoided. Losses can be controlled. As long as you see the potential in something, you should take risks and go for it. Just now, I remember Jesus taking the risk of becoming man and suffering thus. He saw the potential of the Father's plan even if God becoming man hadn't been tried before. It was a new (and strange) idea. But Jesus jumped in and took the risk. He saw the potential.

Bottomline

Hence, all of life is a risk. There's no such thing as a sure thing. No safe zone. Everything is a "gamble," for lack of a better term (although I don't like gambling). An investment book I'm reading says, gambling rests solely on guessing, bluffing and luck. But investment, he adds, though a bit like gambling, is based on information, analysis and science.