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4. The gap between you and your "personal best"

You know, far better than anyone else does, when you are truly successful. This requires meeting your own standards, but more often it means exceeding those standards and then raising the bar. It has been said that success occurs at the intersection of opportunity, ability and motivation. Frequently, though, one or two of these variables are missing. You can become frustrated, feel trapped and unable to proceed, not knowing how to realize your full potential.

While there are no guarantees, the truth is that people can improve their odds of reaching a personal best. Winners learn how to create opportunities, neutralize weaknesses, develop higher abilities and boost motivation. Such confidence and proficiencies can be sharpened by the rigor of a quality MBA education.

A senior operating officer explains, "I always believed that, if I graduate with distinction from a top business school, then continue to work hard, I'd never have to worry about anyone being a heck of a lot smarter than I am. Education is a lifelong process. You must never stop learning. Earning an MBA opens up the pores, and helps keep them wide open. Do it. It will pay off over the years. You will have more confidence in the decisions you make."

MBA education is not just for those in their early to mid-20s. An accomplished entrepreneur and venture capitalist, with extensive holdings that include over a dozen McDonalds' restaurants, shares his thoughts. "Whether you're 25 or 40, it's a heck of a way to jumpstart your career. Without the exposure you get in these programs, I don't know how you can compete. It makes you better suited to handle your own career and not be at the mercy of some giant corporation. An MBA is like money in the bank. They can't take it away from you, and you're always going to use it."