How to Become High-Capacity
I have brother, a business partner, and a daughter who are all very high-capacity people. Meaning, they can do a lot of stuff, with endless energy to pursue their activities. It is amazing to see how some people can just do more. When other people get tired or worn out, high-capacity people keep going.
To make sure we are on the same page of what a high-capacity person looks like, let me start by identifying a few characteristics of such a person.
High-capacity people… (by my informal definition)
- Desire a challenge
- Are consumed by their activities and things they want to accomplish
- Maintain energy for their pursuits when other’s wanes
- Prioritize their pursuits over their pleasure
- Get fulfillment from reaching their goals
As a medium-capacity person who knows both high and low capacity people, I have been able to asses the pros and cons of being “high-capacity”. Mostly, it is a good thing and we can all benefit from adding to our capacity to handle heavy loads. When you are a high-capacity person you can:
- Get more things done
- Do things with greater excellence
- Carry larger burdens for yourself and others
- Be noticed by others - in a good way
- Fulfill a greater calling on your life
I am thankful for the high-capacity people in my life and have realized that, while most people are simply “wired” that way, there is something you can do to develop a higher-capacity. Here are a few things I have learned by being surrounded by high-capacity people. If you want to become a higher capacity person you should:
- Try to keep up with high-capacity people. The greatest growth I have had personally, in this area, is a direct result from working with people who are better than me. It pushes you to take on more than you normally would and consequently, develop the skills necessary to handle it.
- Manage your time well. Wasting time on things that aren’t important is not an option if you want to accomplish more in a single day
- Prioritize Properly. In concert with time management, you have to identify what things deserve your time and what things warrant less. This is hard!
- Take on a challenge. If you think something might be too hard, try to do it. When you take on things that you think are impossible, or above you, you will adapt to meet the challenge and be better prepared for the next time.
- Get strength from the Lord. Even those who are naturally high-capacity can suffer from taking on too much and will get stressed out, irritable, and maybe even self-destructive. But when you get your strength from the Lord, you have a reserve of energy and focus that keeps things in perspective.
While this post has focused mostly on the pros of being high-capacity, there are some cons as well. Just be careful when trying to attain a higher capacity that you:
- Maintain a healthy life and work balance
- Don’t steam roll other people and their interests
- Take time to relax, unwind, and rest
- Spend adequate time with God to make sure He, not you, is driving your agenda for the day
Good luck!
