Talent tends to get more publicity than effort.  There are a  lot of people out there with talent that is never fully realized because the effort ... which includes things like mental toughness, resilience, grit, commitment, dedication, focus ... is not prioritized.  Unless we make a decision to get uncomfortable and make the difficult and intentional decision that confront us, we may become better but we will fall short of our best. "To become a master of any skill, it takes the total effort of your: heart, mind, and soul working in tandem."  Maurice Young

If your goal in life is to avoid discomfort and pain and struggle, then your goal in life is also to avoid reaching your full potential. "You must do one thing every day which makes you feel uncomfortable."  Richard Parkes Cordock

Troubles, problems, challenges and issues are constant element in our lives.  They can sometimes be minimized but they can not be completely eliminated.  We need to spend less time attempting to eliminate all difficulties from our lives and spend more time preparing for how to deal with them WHEN they arrive.  "Difficulties show what people really are."  Epictetus 

Circumstances are a starting point but not the destination.  We all have the ability to move beyond our current situation to where we desire to be.  "Nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that something inside them was superior to circumstance."  Bruce Barton

We all have limits so when we make everything about ourselves, we limit ourselves to only what we can do.  "It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit."  Harry S. Truman 

What is something that you do every day without thinking about it that may be the one thing in your day that keeps you from reaching your full potential? A lot of our habits revolve around our phones, in-person and on-line communication, use of time, eating, exercise, work, driving.  "Good habits are important, but it's often our bad habits that prevent us from reaching our full potential...you're only as good as your worst habits."  Amy Morin 

"You are the sum total of everything you've ever seen, heard, eaten, smelled, been told, forgot - it's all there. Everything influences each of us, and because of that I try to make sure that my experiences are positive."  Maya Angelou  We are constantly changing and evolving and so is the world around us.  That is why it is essential that we learn from every experience we have, both positive and negative, and we must be intentional about growing and improving each day, as life doesn't get easier, but different and often more difficult. We must equip ourselves for our days ahead.   "No one ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and they are not the same person." Heraclitus 

It is amazing what we will make time for.  We can always find time for those things that are truly important to us or essential for us ... eating, sleeping, bathroom stuff, etc.  "I don't have time" is actually a common response to things that we honestly "choose not to make time for".  Laundry is not a choice, unless the other choice is studying.  Calling to talk to mom isn't always the first choice, unless we need mom for something then we can't dial fast enough.  We make time for those things that matter to us at the time.  Running isn't something most people will choose to do, unless a bear is chasing them. Instead of complaining about how busy we are, we need to figure out a way to get things done or make the hard choices to get things done.   "Either I will find a way, or I will make one."  Hannibal 

Failure is not a result.  Neither is success.  Both are simply steps on a very long staircase that leads us to our full potential.  We don't take "two steps forward and one step back".  We simply take steps upward and some of those steps teach us different things about ourselves.  We seek to be successful and don't seek failure but failure will occur and our success will be determined by how we respond to the failures.