May 10
20
The Greatest Adversary
I am a nerd. For any of you who’d disagree with me, I’ll prove it to you by the following statement: I was watching Star Trek: The Next Generation recently (now do you believe me? lol), and some random guest star scientist dude was chatting with Wesley Crusher, the teenage son of Dr. Beverly Crusher. Like many guest stars who interact with Wesley, this scientist guy was imparting wisdom gained from his years and years of life experience. Okay, whatever. So I was (kind of) listening when Mr. Guest Star Science Guy said something I found incredibly profound. He said, “The greatest adversary you will ever face is your own potential.”
“The greatest adversary you will ever face is your own potential.” It affected me so deeply that it bore repetition. Having faced my share of adversaries in my days–from the girl for whom my kindergarten boyfriend dumped me (heartbreaking for a 5-year-old, let me tell you) to the seemingly insurmountable Beethoven sonata I performed in my senior recital–I knew almost immediately that his statement was true. The main thing I had to come to terms with, to face, in such situations was none other than myself. Through my own years of experience, I’ve been rejected and replaced more times and in more ways than I care to think about…but am learning to remember that I, Marta, am fully lovable the way I am, and have the potential to become even more so. Contending with Beethoven (well, his Sonata in F Major, anyway) showed me my potential for growth as well as my potential to accept my weaknesses, and to overcome them without needing to hide them. And those are just two examples.
Yes, our own potential is our greatest adversary. How wonderful to know that the strongest thing we have to conquer is within ourselves! We ARE that powerful! Isn’t that amazing?
Or, I should say, aren’t you amazing?
