As human beings, we only use a small percentage of our brains in our day-today activities. However, that doesn’t mean we still cannot maximize every bit of our potential. Business maven Christopher M. Naghibi shares some great advice on how to reach your full potential, both personally and professionally.

One of the first rules of entrepreneurship, as per Christopher M. Naghibi, is to launch what you love. If you start a business that makes you miserable, you are setting yourself up for failure. Know what you want to do (key word here is “want”), find your direction, and start from there. Make a quick list of your passions and interests that you can spend 12+ hours on per day, focusing on which your business idea needs to come up. This is also a great time to set some preliminary goals.

“Next, you should learn as many skills as possible,” says Naghibi. Not only will this help you with your business, but it will also make you a stronger professional in general. In addition to learning new skills, strengthen your existing ones. This tactic is especially beneficial if you need to spend more time on a current job before launching your own company. And if your current job agrees to pay for the training or certification, take the offer while you can.

Naghibi further adds that when you launch a business, you should pay attention to the world “launch”. You are starting from the ground up, so be prepared for the additional work this calls for. There are no shortcuts to success, so be ready to put forth 110% to build your business. If you want to reach your full potential, one of the first steps is to have the right mindset to achieve this. Ironically, you might be the biggest obstacle to your own success.

Lastly, according to Christopher M. Naghibi, surround yourself with like-minded people who can serve as mentors. When someone sees your potential, they can probably offer some advice to help you unlock it. These peers will form an invaluable network and a rich source of self-improvement along your entrepreneurial journey.