Strategies for Unlocking Greatness and Potential

In this episode, Wilson shares practical insights and tools for taking a proactive approach to personal growth, including the following:

• Wilson aims to chase potential, not arrive at it. Let’s say you reach your potential — then what’s next? Keeping this in mind, Wilson has worked to develop a set of skills that helps his potential rise, so it’s consistently increasing; he can then always be working toward closing the gap.
• Negativity is what holds many of us back, says Wilson. It’s a challenge because humans are wired to be like magnets for negativity, and we live in a society that perpetuates it.
• While negativity is inevitable, Wilson challenges that it’s not even about the first or second thought you have, but rather what you say out loud. Most of us can’t control the thoughts coming into our heads but we do have full control over what we communicate out loud — to both ourselves and others. Negativity is about four to seven times more powerful than positivity, and it’s a multiple of 10 times if spoken aloud.
• Many times, it’s not about what we’re adding in, but rather what we’re willing to eliminate, according to Wilson. For example, intentionally limiting your daily social media exposure can be beneficial as it’s likely we’re going to scroll past or get sucked into things that aren’t positive or in our best interest.
• Who you surround yourself with matters. We all have accountability partners in our communities — whether we identify them as that or not — but the question is, are they helping to move you in the direction you want to go or not?
• Neutral thinking tends to allow even the most skeptical individual who isn’t buying into positivity to understand that there’s a place other than negativity where they can arrive; that can allow them to continue to move forward.
• Self-talk is critical, as the voice in our heads tends to lie and/or refuses to use facts. And if you’re not careful, the narratives in your mind can start to work against you. Wilson encourages developing an internal ad campaign that you can remind yourself of in needed moments.
• Celebrate your small wins so you don’t miss the moments of joy along your journey. Also, know that stacking gains (or small wins) is what aggregates over time to get you to achieving big things.
• Wilson urges having at least one person who you share what you’re working on with, as it can be difficult to accomplish these things on your own. You can be an accountability partner for that person, too.