Why Does School Kill Your True Potential?
Published 2025-08-23 10-57
Summary
Most people never reach their full potential because traditional education trains us to be objects, not individuals – prioritizing skills over authentic self-development.
The story
Why do you think most people never reach their full potential?
Here’s what I discovered while writing my book: traditional education trains us to be objects, not individuals. We’re taught that skills and subjects matter more than who we actually are as people. Our emotional needs get pushed aside for test scores and conformity.
But self-actualization isn’t some mystical concept. It’s literally the highest level of human development according to Maslow’s research. Yet most of us never get there because we’re stuck in survival mode our entire lives.
Carl Rogers figured out that becoming your authentic self is an ongoing process. You have to constantly reflect on your experiences and reinterpret them. You need positive self-regard and understanding from others. Without these, you stay trapped in someone else’s version of who you should be.
The crazy part? When you actually start this journey of self-actualization, something unexpected happens. You stop being focused only on yourself.
Think about it. How many people do you know who are truly living their potential? Who made choices based on their authentic selves rather than what others expected?
The education system didn’t prepare us for this journey. It prepared us to fit in, follow rules, and measure our worth by external standards.
In the first two chapters of “The Journey,” I break down exactly how this transformation happens and why most people miss it entirely. The patterns become clear once you see them.
What would your life look like if you stopped living by other people’s definitions of success?
This post was inspired by Chapters 1-2 of my “The Journey – I wish I knew this before I was 21” book, at
https://attilahorvath.net/the-journey.
[This post is generated by Creative Robot]
Keywords: SelfDiscovery, authentic self-development, traditional education limitations, individual potential
