5 ways that successful people turn adversity into success

Once you learn to shift your mindset, it's time to start making the kind of bold moves that separate high achievers from the rest. A recent study from the CEO Genome Project found that, while it takes an average of 24 years to ascend to the position of CEO, those who take more risks get there in nearly half the amount of time.

By removing your fear of potential disappointment or failure, you can make the daring decisions that power high performance and success. Raise your hand in a meeting. Launch a new company. Speak up. Rise to the top!

I have a tattoo of a bird with a phrase my mother taught me: "The bird does not fear the branch breaking beneath her feet for she trusts her wings." It not only honors her memory, it inspires me to dare greatly every day.

People who leverage adversity into success trust that, while they're making bold moves, they will have the skills, support and resources to succeed. This isn't egotistical, but rather a belief in their own abilities, and the abilities of those around them, to push through challenges and achieve a desired outcome. Without trusting that your endeavors will have a positive result, it's impossible to fully commit to achieving your goals.

High achievers develop internal skills and practices to achieve external results. The first is cultivating a growth mindset versus a fixed mindset — believing your intelligence or abilities can be developed versus set in stone. Those with a growth mindset "enjoy challenges, strive to learn, and consistently see potential to develop new skills," enabling them to persevere in the face of adversity.

They also form deep, solid relationships. Research shows that a strong social support system is even more critical than individual traits in determining our resilience. The connections we make with our professional network, friends, family, and community provide the encouragement, positive feelings, and sense of purpose that support resiliency.

A third skill is honing emotional intelligence, the awareness of your own emotions and those of the people around you. A study of Indian managers found that EI plays a significant role in the ability to deal with adversity, especially through self-awareness and self-regulation. Developing your EI will allow you to calmly assess challenging situations and conceptualize how you're going to change in the future.

Finally, high-achievers may make mistakes, but they always learn, adapt, and eventually succeed — they don't endlessly make the same mistakes. That's the ultimate benefit of developing this mindset: the ability to learn, adapt and grow into the most high-performing version of yourself.

Accept that things are going to go wrong in life and it's going to be hard — that's unavoidable. But if you can develop the skills to spread your wings when the branch breaks, you'll keep flying no matter what.

Ilana Zivkovich is a licensed clinical social worker, and founder and CEO of Werq, a strategic leadership advisory firm headquartered in Austin, TX, serving clients around the country and abroad. An experienced executive leader and certified Genos Emotional Intelligence Practitioner, Zivkovich helps leadership teams align their people, processes and strategy so that businesses can achieve exceptional results.