Going through various experiences in life has taught me what it takes to achieve your highest potential. I know if you’re reading this you want more out of life and you may be stuck at the moment. What I’ve found to be true is that there’s not much of a difference talentwise between winners and average performers in any area of life. Successful people are simply willing to do what most other people aren’t willing to do. The key difference is in their level of desire to work on and realize their dreams.

Here are 7 experiences you must be willing to go through to win at the highest level:

1. Failing over and over

It’s ironic but the most successful people in the world are the ones with the most failures under their belt. Most people think that success is a straight line from point A to point B but that’s not reality. Thomas Edison, the inventor of the light bulb and founder of General Electric, did over a thousand failed experiments. He only succeeded after those thousand failed attempts and as a result we have domestic light today.

We learn more from our mistakes than we do from our victories even though none of us like losing. Most people are afraid of failing partly because of the education system that looks down on people that do. Avoiding mistakes at all costs is the biggest mistake and an injustice to the potential inside of you. What’s important is to learn from your mistakes so you can make better decisions next time.

“Failure isn’t fatal, but failure to change might be” – John Wooden

2. Facing rejection

Every human being has an innate desire and need to be loved and accepted by other people. The only problem is that not everyone is going to be loving and accepting of you no matter what you do. What you must understand is that even if some people reject you, there are others that love you.

Learning to handle rejection is important if you want to achieve anything significant in your life. In most cases, it’s not you that people reject but the things you represent. So don’t take it personal. The most successful salespeople are the ones that understand this and they don’t let that rejection stop them.

They keep going until they find the ideal customers who share their enthusiasm for their products. As long as you’re secure in who you are as a person, you’ll be in a position to handle rejection.

3. Hitting rock bottom

The year 2020 was one that changed so much about our lives in unexpected ways. For some people, it catapulted them to greater levels of success while it was a tragedy for others. Besides the death toll due to the coronavirus, a lot of people lost their livelihood and struggled to survive. The strain on families has been unprecedented even now as people try to recover from the negative effects.

The experience has been a blessing in disguise for those that chose to see it that way. For one, losing everything that you value the most gives you a new perspective of things that really matter. Some people value their jobs so much they neglect their families, yet their employers don’t value them as much. I know for sure that such experiences have led others to become entrepreneurs and realize their true potential.

4. Dealing with haters

The more successful you become in life, the bigger a target you’ll become for the haters. One of the worst self-imposed prisons people subject themselves to is worrying about other people’s opinions. People are always going to talk about you and there’s nothing you can do to stop it.

When you have people taking shots at you, know that they are envious of what you have accomplished. They wish to be in your position but can’t because they are not willing to do what it takes. They have dreams of their own for which they have excuses for why they haven’t achieved them.

This is why hanging around the right people is important because there are those that are threatened by your success. The people you should spend the most time around are those who will celebrate you instead of shoot you down.

5. Becoming authentic

Emulating other people in some respects is necessary to become successful in any given area of life. This is what some call the law of matching and modeling. This doesn’t mean that you have to become exactly like they are. Doing so is a disservice not only to yourself, but also to the people that look up to you.

When you’re not yourself, other people can tell and they’ll find it difficult to truly connect with you. Why do human beings try to be like everyone else? It’s because it gives them a sense of acceptance and comfort though it’s a false one. It’s so much easier being yourself instead of trying to live other people’s lives.

When you choose to become authentic is when you start attracting the right people into your life; and those that shouldn’t be in your life will begin to fall away as a result.

6. Mastering your emotions

Emotional intelligence is one of the most important things you must develop to realize your full potential. On your way to the top you’re going to experience a roller coaster of emotions before you get there. On some days you’ll feel like you’re on top of the world and other times, you’ll feel like a failure. The most successful people however, don’t let their emotions direct their lives but use them as motivation. Whether it’s the exhilaration of winning or the pain of losing, they use their emotions to do what they must do.

There’s a powerful lesson I learned from a book called, “Defined: Who God Says You Are”. The lesson is that while feelings are powerful communicators, they are not reliable sources of truth. One of the most memorable examples of this that come to mind was a critical basketball game involving Michael Jordan.

In the 1997 NBA Finals the Chicago Bulls faced a motivated Utah Jazz team with some talented players as well. With the series tied at 2-2 and Chicago playing on the road, Michael Jordan got sick with food poisoning. Average players would have sat out of the game but he felt he had an obligation towards his teammates to perform. He played through the pain and had one of his greatest games ever and led the team to victory.

“Feelings are much like waves, we can’t stop them from coming but we can choose which one to surf.” – Jonatan Martensson

7. Getting uncomfortable with your present state

Last but not least, you’re never going to break through to your highest potential by staying in your comfort zone. This is not to say that you should all of a sudden quit your job and start chasing your dreams; that would be foolish to say the least. What I mean is you should start stretching yourself and putting yourself in situations that will force you to grow.

The more you refuse to settle for the scraps life gives you, the more you’ll understand what you’re made of. You must become comfortable with being uncomfortable and you’ll see yourself accomplishing more than you ever thought possible. Sometimes you need that kick to push you to the next level. When you’ve been beaten down for a long time at some point you’ll feel that enough is enough.

If you’ve come across people in that position, you’ll find that they have a furious intensity about them flowing through their bodies. They become so determined to win they do whatever it takes to eliminate all obstacles in their way.

Which of these resonate with you the most? Comment below!