John Percepto wrote this about true potential:

Trying to define what true potential means is really a quest that is more a distraction from defining what society really wants or expects. It would be more fruitful to simply focus initially on what society wants as its potential for you, or from you, give it what it’s asking for to get its approval. Then develop your talents for your own sake, through an individual search for self realization, rather than spending a lifetime wondering whether you have lived up to what you think your true potential should be.
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I agree with the second half the paragraph. But well, personally, I don’t think it’s a good idea to focus on “what society wants” from you. The problem with doing that is, it becomes very easy to just slip into what society wants and not move from there.

To truly develop your potential, you shouldn’t focus on what society wants or try to “get its approval”, in my opinion. You need to be willing to risk society’s disapproval. If not, you’ll end up just falling into the status quo.