I am currently reading Adam Grant‘s book Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things. In this book he argues that hidden soft skills are more important than visible hard skills. There is hidden potential in everyone the question is if we have push ourselves to realize it. There he writes:

“Impostor syndrome says, “I don’t know what I’m doing. It’s only a matter of time until everyone finds out.’ Growth mindset says, “I don’t know what I’m doing yet. It’s only a matter of time until I figure it out.” It is not about smarts or hard skills, but attitude that will make us win the long race. ( Hidden Potential)

I was thinking about hidden potential in the context of Yosef’s drama. In Vayeshev, this week’s Torah portion, where we are introduce to Yosef the dreamer. Nothing can get him down. Despite being sold into slavery by his own brothers, he always lands on his feet. There in Egypt he rises to power in the house of Potiphar. Then Potiphar’s wife gets him sent to prison, but nothing will get him down. Even there Yosef makes the most of it supporting his fellow prisoners. So much could have gotten Yosef down, but he is someone of Hidden Potential, and he will win the long race.

Yosef is similar to Andy Dufresne from classic Shawshank Redemption, they both make the most of it in the slammer and come out a better man. In words of Morgan Freeman’s character Red:

Andy crawled to freedom through five hundred yards of *poop* smelling foulness I can’t even imagine, or maybe I just don’t want to​. Five hundred yards… that’s the length of five football fields, just shy of half a mile . . . and came out clean on the other side.

I find myself reflecting on Yosef and Andy Dufresne today as it is the 19th of Kislev. Today  is celebrated as the “Rosh Hashanah of Chassidism.” It was on this date, in the year 1798, that the founder of Chabad Chassidism, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi (1745–1812), was freed from his imprisonment in czarist Russia. More than a personal liberation, this was a watershed event in Jewish history, heralding a new era in the revelation of the “inner soul” of Torah. All three people were imprisoned, but in their freedom we can all be inspired to seek freedom. There is hidden potential in all of us and in each of us. If we believe in ourselves, nothing can get us down.