“The Law of Pure Potential ity could also be called the Law of Unity, because underlying the infinite diversity of life is the unity of one all-pervasive spirit. There is no separation between you and this field of energy.”

— Deepak Chopra

Pretend that you are dreaming, and in your dream you see a giant lake—we will call it “Lake Potential.”

Think of the water in the lake as the unformed essence or energy of whatever would make your life worth living. See yourself standing on the shore of the lake, wishing you could jump into the limitless potential, but you don’t know how to swim. So you walk away, feeling deprived of the infinite possibilities that lie within that potential.

Suddenly you wake up from your dream and realize you are already fully immersed in the lake and always have been— you just weren’t aware of it.

Awakening to your true potential is your destiny as you evolve spiritually. However, discovering that potential is a choice you will make time and again based on your understanding and application of the Law of Pure Potentiality.

Each of us was born in “Lake Potential,” and it is as natural to us as water is to a fish. The difference is that a fish doesn’t spend time searching for water; it knows water only as a natural part of its being; it has never been separated from the element in which it was born. That very element sustains it with grace and ease.

We, on the other hand, seem to have no problem separating ourselves from our natural element, often spending a lifetime looking for our potential somewhere “out there,” in the form of people, places and things.

Chopra refers to this external search as “object-referral,” by which he means we look to the world as the source of our fulfillment, which is temporary at best. The alternative is what he refers to as “self-referral,” which means we look to the infinite source for fulfillment, which can be found only when we identify with the self within that knows it is unified with the whole. Pure Potential is the common factor found in all possibilities.

Some teachers refer to Pure Potentiality as the cosmic glue that unifies the universe. It can be a stunning discovery when we realize we are immersed in its essence, as a fish is in water. Once we awaken to and access our Pure Potential, we can bring it into form by means of conscious, creative and positive “possibility thinking.”

The challenge is that it requires a quiet mind to plumb the depths of Lake Potential. As a mindfulness practice, I invite you to contemplate your unity with life.

Dedicate time for meditation and spend time in nature to observe the Law of Pure Potentiality. Animals, trees and flowers are incapable of separating themselves from their source, and as a result they thrive in their natural element.

Become the silent witness— watch and learn, and in doing so become aligned with your own true nature. Clear your mind and heart of all negative thinking that causes you to feel separated from others or the source. Focus on healing any sense of separation.

Know you were born into Pure Potentiality—you don’t have to earn it because it’s yours by divine appointment. As the great teacher said, “It is the Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.”

What shall you choose to do with the gift of your pure potential today? Choose wisely, because as Emerson said, “Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.”

Dennis Merritt Jones is a local spiritual mentor, keynote speaker and author of the book “The Art of Being: 101 Ways to Practice Pur pose in Your Life.” Contact him at www.DennisMerrittJones.com