Level Up: How To Reach Your Full Potential13 min read

Growing up, I was opportune to play a lot of video games. My favourite games were racing games (like Need For Speed) and adventure games (like God of War). And, the concept of levelling up was fundamental to these games.

In Need For Speed, for example, you need a different class of cars to unlock some races. It isn’t enough to increase your car’s speed, acceleration, or handling. Changing colours or decals are nice, but still won’t get you into those races. And, if by some means you managed to get into such races, you will simply eat dust.

Similarly in God of War, you need new weapons – be it an arrow or a spare – or new abilities – like flying or slowing down time – to beat some bosses or get past some stages. It doesn’t matter how much you powered up your primary weapon (the blade) or health.

So too in life, there are some things you simply can’t experience or overcome unless you level up. It doesn’t matter how good you are in other areas, until you unlock those hidden potentials, you will most likely remain stuck.

Hopefully, this piece brings you some clarity and shows you a way forward. 

What does it mean to level up your life?

Throughout my childhood and for most of my teenage years, I struggled to make friends and had zero female friends. I was a top-performing student in class and did quite well in sports. But, my social skills were near non-existent. In fact, people labelled me anti-social.

For a long time, I internalised it as who I was. But as I grew increasingly dissatisfied with my situation, I sought a solution.

The solution was developing a new set of skills – i.e. social skills. And, with my new set of skills, it didn’t take long before I could start fostering friendships, even with ladies. In fact, by the time I was leaving the university, now a young adult, I had so many friends I had to start dropping off some.

But, that was not all. I also had struggles with making money (and still do). In fact, back then in school, I couldn’t fantom having 10,000 naira in my name. But, when I grew tired of being “koboless”, I discovered I had great potential in painting rooms, drawing art portraits, persuading people to buy, as well as writing.

It didn’t take long for me to make my first 10k, and before I knew it 100k.

Now, there is almost nothing anyone can do to take away my ability to make friends or make another 100k. Nevertheless, those are not all that can be unlocked.

As I’ve progressed in my personal development journey, I have come to see that to reach my full potential, I not only need to actively improve in different areas of my life but also actively seek to unlock new potential.

I need to unlock and then develop my leadership potential. I need to unlock and develop my capacity to love deeply. I need to do the same in terms of humility, self-esteem, and so on.

In simple terms, levelling up means unlocking new abilities and potentials within yourself. This includes your mindset, skillset, and overall capacity to engage with life. It’s about expanding your capabilities in ways that allow you to overcome previously insurmountable challenges and access new experiences.

Why is Levelling Up Important?

Levelling up is not just about getting better at what you already do, but about fundamentally expanding what you’re capable of doing and experiencing.

Most people can’t fly a helicopter, manage a multi-billion naira company, build a loving home, grow their own food, or even give basic CPR in an emergency. They may know what it is, and have some assumptions about it, but can not do it if they were suddenly put in the position to.

“A fool and his money are soon parted,” and “The tallest trees catch the most wind.”. Getting what we want prematurely is like “handing a child a loaded gun”.

This is why praying for blessings without first levelling up is laughable. Anyone who can fly a helicopter would be worried about putting you in the cockpit no matter how much they love you or how enthusiastic you are. The same too for a doctor, farmer, or even a CEO who wishes to entrust you with such important roles (if they don’t think you possess the ability).

I still recall how I badly wanted to be in a relationship a few years ago, yet looking back now, I am glad all those ladies rejected me. Affirmative, it hurts, but the truth was that I lacked communication skills, and emotional intelligence, not to mention patience necessarily for such. If things had “worked out” I would have ended up hurting myself, the ladies, or both.

I also recall how I used to daydream of making a hundred thousand naira but now looking back, I can see that I lacked the necessary skills, experience, reputation, tools, as well as network. And, even now when the thoughts of becoming a millionaire, or getting married are crossing my mind, I am quite aware that there are upgrades needed…

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It is important to realise that your level in life does not necessarily determine your worth. Yes, the market/society may be more willing to offer more money, respect, and even opportunities to someone who has greatly upgraded themselves, but it doesn’t mean you are worth less as a human. 

It just means you need to start working on yourself like a valuable ore needs to go into the blast furnace to become truly appreciated.

How do I level up in life?

To level up in life, first…

Be Clear On Why You Want To Level Up

Levelling up is valuable, but you need a clear reason for pursuing it. Without that, you’ll struggle to stay committed. 

Why? 

Because the process is often tough and costly. Without a strong “why,” you’re likely to “quit” pushing and stay mediocre, just like most do.

This is not always bad. Mediocre means you are not overweight, you have a stable source of income, you are not isolated, you aren’t depressed, and you still look forward to seeing what tomorrow holds.

So, why do you want something different?

Are you really sure you want to have that fit body, fat bank balance, healthy relationships, a peaceful mind, and a sunny disposition about life?

Well, then you have to…

Assess Your Current Level

Take an honest look at your current skills, knowledge, and abilities.  

Identify areas where you feel stuck or limited in different aspects of your life – whether career/finance, relationships, physical health, emotional health, personal growth, or just mindset.

Sometimes, you can be blind to your own shortcomings or limitations. And, in such instances, it might help to pay keen attention to feedback from those around you (or perhaps, the results you’re having).

If everyone around you seems to complain about your fear of commitment, perhaps you need to work on it. If your account balance can’t seem to cross or grow past 300k, perhaps you struggle with money.

This is crucial because, unlike habits that often form unintentionally, levelling up often require intentional work.

This is not comfortable. In fact, most people would rather not carry out introspection. Most people will rather get defensive and attack you if you remind them that they are broke, lonely, or ignorant.

“Our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers.” – M. Scott Peck

Depending on what you discover about yourself, you want to…

Set Your Next Level Goal

Define a clear, specific target for what “levelled up” looks like in the area you’ve chosen. Make sure it’s challenging but achievable. 

But, beware, this is not the same as the results.

What do I mean?

Choosing to level up your finances is not the same as saying you want to have 1M naira in your bank account by the end of the year. I used to make this mistake. 

Rather, it is envisioning who you need to be in order to make that 1M. It’s a subtle difference, but the impact is huge.

For instance, if your goal is still financial growth, then the next level might mean being someone with a new set of skills or tools, more productive, access to a larger network (or connection with valuable people), and so on.

Needless to say, carefully studying someone at the level you aspire to be at will greatly help in this regard. 

Again, don’t focus on their results, but rather on what they are using/leveraging to get those results. Perhaps, they are great at communication, manage their time well, or are very good at what they do. That is what the next level looks like.

And, to help you quickly transition to that next level, you need to…

Embrace a New Identity

I saw a quote that says, “Level up so hard they have to get to know you again”. Well, in reality, they have to need to get to know you again before you can truly level up.

What do I mean?

You have to embrace the idea of being a different person before you can really make sustainable change.

Why?

If you don’t, negative or limiting beliefs will keep holding you back: You will say to yourself, “I am not good with money”, “I am hot-tempered”, “I can’t do X”, or “What will my friends think?”.

Well, what if you changed that? What if you saw yourself as “Someone who is now more intentional about their spending”, “working on their temper”, “learning how to do X”, or “someone whose friends would have to adjust to…or who might need new friends”?

“The more pride you have in a particular aspect of your identity, the more motivated you will be to maintain the habits associated with it.” – James Clear

When you see yourself as a writer, you will write consistently. When you see yourself as a fashionable person, you will dress better. 

Do you want to level up? Then change how you see yourself. Be willing to become a stranger to your friends, family, and even yourself for a brief period. 

Give yourself the room to have those weird-looking wings sticking up your back, or those sleek aerodynamic designs…

Don’t worry, everyone will get to know about You 2.0 really soon…

As soon as you…

Pay The Price

In video games, you must trade coins, orbs, or points to level up. In real life, you must pay the price to level up.

What does this look like for you?

Well, it could mean

• Seeking out mentors, coaches, or teachers to learn from. 
• Consuming resources such as books, courses, and workshops to aid your understanding. 
• Letting go of relationships that hold you back 
• Surround yourself with people/a community that share your vision and goals.
• Getting out of your comfort zone to undertake projects, competitions, or challenges that force you to discover your weaknesses 
• Working on those weaknesses.

Levelling up creatively could mean collaborating with others who challenge/critique your style or push you to explore new perspectives.

Levelling up your career might involve going to seminars and starting challenging projects that help you discover new potential. 

If it’s your relationships, it might be reading books, practising active listening, or even seeking therapy. 

Unlike in video games where the upgrade comes instant, in real life, you have to pay attention, invest money and time, and put in maximum effort while remaining patient with the process. 

Levelling up is rarely smooth or easy – it often involves frustration, setbacks, failure, and self-doubt. 

It may take weeks, months, or even years to see any tangible difference.

But, you must persevere. You must choose your hard.

And it doesn’t end there. You must also…

Consolidate and Maintain Your Progress

I didn’t learn how to do backflips from childhood. I was around 17 when I landed my first backflip with no hands. But, as I write this, almost a decade later, I can’t do it with no hands. Sure, with some practice, I can, but, that is the point…

Once you’ve reached your next level, you must put effort into maintaining it to ensure you don’t fall back.

It requires consistent effort over time.

If you get careless with your spending, start thinking you now know everything or stop eating healthy, chances are your financial, creative, as well as physical health levels will plummet.

Yes, just like in video games, you can level down.

But, don’t fret, you can always level up again.

Conclusion: Choose the life you want to level up.

Here’s a plot twist: The ultimate level-up might just be realising you’re already great, and all your efforts are just an attempt to play it out.

Think about it. In those video games, your characters were heroes from the start. They might have grown stronger, sure, but they were always the protagonist, always valuable, always the hero of their own story.

The same goes for you.

You don’t need to be the richest, fittest, fastest, or any other “-est” to be successful. You already are. (You only feel otherwise because you can’t help comparing yourself to others).

Levelling up is less about fixing what’s “wrong” with you and more about expanding what’s already great about you. It’s about unlocking new ways to express your inherent awesomeness, not trying to become awesome.

And, when you realise this, then you will see that your ultimate potential isn’t realised by reaching some arbitrary level set by society. But rather excelling in the life you chose.

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” – Steve Jobs

Choose the life you want to level up.

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Did you enjoy this content or have some questions? Please let us know i the comments section.

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• How to Grow Up: A Practical 10-Step Guide to Improving Your Character
• Limiting Beliefs: 10 Tips To Overcome Thoughts That Hold You Back.
• What You Need More Than Money: Self-actualisation
• Purpose: The Most Important Thing You Can Do With Your Life.
• How To Develop Your Meta Skills, And Unlock Your Hidden Potentials