There is a gap between what we are capable of and what we achieve. It is not that we lack ability; it’s our availability that compromises our potential.

When we live in the memories and regrets of the past or are anxious about the future, we are unavailable in the here and now. The vital present being the only opportunity we truly have, we compromise our availability by not being fully present in the present.

When we lose our awareness and allow ourselves to get distracted, we lose focus. Focus needs our mind to be in one place. We compromise our availability when we are not fully concentrating on the work at hand.

When we are preoccupied with one aspect of our life, we often neglect responsibilities and relationships, sometimes paying a heavy price. Neglect and not taking time to review our life periodically compromises our availability.

We carry several desires and aspirations, often tempting us to take on too much. We often find ourselves juggling too many things without completing them to our satisfaction. Overcommitting without a realistic assessment compromises our availability.

Sometimes our heart is not in what we are doing, yet we know we cannot abandon it. Even though we go through the motions, we don’t give our best because we are not enjoying it. Resisting what life is calling on us to do and treating responsibilities as a burden compromises our availability.

Negative emotions cloud our judgement and compromise our abilities. When we act under fear and anger, we compromise our availability.

We are capable of far greater than what we can imagine. Our pursuit of happiness will be incomplete if we don’t deliver our best. We may be successful, but deep down we will have a lingering feeling of knowing we didn’t give our best and could probably have done better.

On reflecting we realise that it is not just our ability that matters; it is our ability and availability.