“True Potential” is a dangerous term....I might have the potential to be a neuroscientist or astrophysicist, but not want to do that. I might have the potential to be a world class athlete and lose it via an injury.
I don’t even consider my potential as much as I consider doing my best at whatever I decide to do. I dropped out of school, restarted and graduated in a different field. I chose a graduate school, dropped out and went back to Law School (another different field) and graduated.
Does anyone ever reach their “true potential”....or even figure out what that might be? Probably some, but not all that many. This is not a cause for fear, at least not in my way of thinking. You do what you can when you can, and you do the best you can....that’s the standard I hold myself to.