I recently finished the book Limitless by Jim Kwik. I have been a casual listener to his podcast for a few months, so I ordered his book and finished it in a couple weeks. (I would have finished it sooner if I only read one book at a time, but I don't.) The book contains some great nuggets of wisdom and caused me to evaluate my personal journey.

Those who are naturally intellectually gifted may be surprised by what I share, but here are some specifics to my own challenges and what I always used as excuses to my intellectual limitations.

High School Years

My sophomore year of high school my mom encouraged me to take the ACT because my older sister was taking it. If my memory serves me correctly, I scored an 11 or 13.

When I used to tell this story in college, my friends use to make comments such as, "Don't you get a 9 just for putting your name on the test?" That might be accurate.

My senior year was super rough academically, and I received three Ds my last semester and graduated by the skin of my teeth.

Undergraduate Years

After graduation, I didn't have plans to attend college, but my mom suggested that I take the ACT again. My recollection is that this time I score a 17.

I worked really hard during my undergraduate years. I always felt that things didn't come easy; there were many times that I felt like I had been punished with a slow or damaged brain.

Graduate Years

For some reason, I felt like I needed to go on to get an MBA, so I took the GMAT and scored 470 the first time. Then I spent money I didn't have to take a Princeton Review GMAT test prep class, and after six weeks, I retook the test, improving my score to 530.

When I interviewed with the admissions team at ASU, they pretty much laughed at my GMAT score. I had to sell them on the fact that I was determined to be successful and would work extremely hard.

That was in 2004. As I write this, I find it funny that I was barely accepted into the W.P. Carey School of Business and now have been on the Sun Devil 100 five years in a row.

Continued Learning

Despite my intellectual challenges, I consider myself to be a lifelong learner. I have read approximately 500 books since my graduate years and continually find ways to apply that knowledge.

I would encourage you to read Limitless and learn from the author's methods, as well as reflect on your own journey. Reflect on where you've been, where you are and where you want to go; your potential really is limitless.