Many often wonder what the greatest key to success is. The truth is that successful people in any field, people who get ahead in life, are constantly challenging themselves to trying new things. The one key factor of success is growth. If you want to be a more successful person, in whatever endeavor you wish to pursue, you have to be courageous enough to push yourself to grow as much as possible.

If we are not growing, then we are staying in the same place without change. Without change we cannot develop and increase our skill and ability. Without this increase in ability, there is no possible way of becoming better at anything. In other words, without growth there is no increase in ability and without this increase in ability you will always be stuck in mediocrity.

Growth comes when you take a chance and try something new. Growth comes when you’re willing to step out of your comfort zone and try something completely different, or perhaps do something that you have always done but in a completely different way. It is very rare to do anything perfectly the first time that you try, but it is because of all the mistakes, that you will develop new skills and abilities.

Never be afraid to try something different. Trying something new means that you’re willing to put yourself in a difficult position so that you can learn and experience new things. Try to see whatever mistakes you make as a learning experience, as an opportunity to become even more capable. When you try new things you will feel uncomfortable. If you can become comfortable being uncomfortable then the sky is the limit and your potential for growth is endless.

You will notice that the only people that really get ahead in life are the people that are constantly challenging themselves. They seem to know that true success only comes from moving forward and stretching themselves and their abilities. Truly successful people even seem to have the goal of trying to be a little uncomfortable on a regular basis. Great entrepreneurs for example will always push themselves to go beyond the competition and to offer more than anyone else has offered before. The great leaders of any field are always the ones that are willing to try new things, to push the boundaries of what is perceived to be possible.

When you are out on the edge, you are all alone. Being alone can be very scary especially when you realize that there’s no one there to catch you if you fail. But there is also great freedom on the edge because there’s no one there to tell you what to do. Push yourself to feel a little uncomfortable every day so that you too can push the boundaries of your possibilities and experience. See this discomfort as freedom and in this way you will be able to experience joy where others might only see tribulation.

The secret to great success then is discomfort, because it is discomfort that will push you to grow and to develop yourself. Discomfort is also the gauge which you must use to measure your potential for growth; if you are not comfortable then you know that you have pushed yourself into personally uncharted territory. Freedom and power can be found at this outer edge but there is loneliness there as well, and sometimes even a little fear. Dare to push yourself beyond your limits and experience the delight of feeling alive and free in the world. Those that can push themselves beyond their limits, will find success and joy in a life well lived. Those that cannot push themselves beyond their limits, will only find stagnation and complacency.