12 brutal truths about success few dare tell you

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Back to the article…

39 years on this planet has been a hell of a ride.

My bitter struggles taught me far more than my wins.

Here are some hard-hitting truths about success that most people are too afraid to admit:

Your potential is a myth.

Forget that “you can be anything” crap.

Don’t worry. Understanding this is a good thing because now you’re forced to get real and narrow in on stuff you can really make a dent with.

You have limits. Embrace them. Work within them.

Exceed them where possible. But don’t delude yourself.

Talent is overrated.

Raw talent without discipline is worse than uselessness.

It’s a waste.

Consistent effort trumps innate ability every time.

Let your consistent actions combine with talent to produce something astounding.

Failure isn’t a teacher.

Failure only teaches those clever enough to learn.

Most people fail repeatedly without gaining a damn thing.

Be the exception.

Your dreams don’t matter.

The world doesn’t care about your aspirations.

It cares about results.

And, more importantly, so do you.

Take a dream, but then do something with it!

Motivation is for the weak.

Most people wait for motivation to show up at their doorsteps holding a bouquet of roses. Get out of here with that shit.

Relying on motivation is like depending on the weather for your mood.

Cultivate good habits instead. It’s the all-weather friend of success.

Work-life balance is bullshit.

True success demands imbalance.

Whenever I’ve produced anything worthwhile, I had to make sacrifices, and it wasn’t always fun. It could be exhausting.

Have periods of intense focus followed by strategic recovery.

Balance is best left for the mediocre.

Your network determines your net worth.

Surround yourself with losers, become a loser.

Keep away from the terminally unlucky.

It’s that simple.

Curate your circle ruthlessly.

Comfort is the enemy of growth.

If you’re comfortable, you’re stagnating.

Use comfort as a reward for jumping in the trenches and getting muddy.

Embrace discomfort. Turn it into aliveness.

It’s the only path to meaningful progress.

Nobody owes you anything.

Entitlement is a disease and the Internet makes it seem ok.

It’s not. You’re as good as a cripple wearing a half-ton backpack when you believe you’re entitled to happiness and success.

The world doesn’t owe you success, recognition, or even basic respect.

Earn all of it.

Your excuses are invalid.

Everyone has problems.

Successful people find solutions. Unsuccessful people find excuses. Sure, have the occasional gripe with a friend in private. It’s cathartic.

Just don’t become a whiny bitch.

Time management is a lie.

You don’t manage time because time doesn’t exist.

You manage yourself and your energy. When you do, you begin to use time more effectively.

Stop blaming the clock and start owning your choices.

Success isn’t a destination.

It’s a continual journey of setting and achieving increasingly more challenging and exciting goals.

The moment you think you’ve “made it” is the moment you start to fail.

See these tips as empowering — when you really sense their truth, they will be.

You got this!

. . .

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Pssst. You’ll also love my recent book: ‘The Art of Self Respect: Twenty-five subtle habits for cultivating deep self-respect and attracting the respect of others‘ — get your copy today.

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