Most people never become successful not because of who they are or where they come from, but because of things they do themselves without realising it. Fifteen habits and beliefs make the list, plus a bonus. They run from measuring yourself against billionaires to lacking discipline, a good reason to keep going, or the right mindset.
None of them is about talent or background, which is the encouraging part: each one is something you can change.
Watch the full video here, or skip to the breakdown below.
The 15 reasons at a glance
- They look at global success instead of personal (0:17)
- They don’t understand that success happens overnight (1:54)
- They are afraid to lose what they already have (3:04)
- They overestimate how hard it is (3:52)
- They take unsuccessful paths (4:42)
- They have outdated mentalities (5:28)
- They believe there is a limited amount of success (6:07)
- They are afraid to look stupid (7:02)
- It’s against human nature (7:36)
- They don’t know how to start (8:16)
- They don’t have enough ambition (9:24)
- They don’t have a good reason (9:59)
- They are not willing to put in the work (10:29)
- They lack discipline (10:57)
- They have a poor mindset (11:36)
1. They look at global success instead of personal
You do not need billions to be successful. What most people picture as success is a tiny sliver of the population, and reaching it takes every planet aligning in your favour. If every billionaire lost their money tomorrow, most would probably not make it back.
People still tie success to that image and get discouraged. What they miss is what success looks like for them. For every person there is a cap beyond which getting more has little impact, and it is lower than most think.
To be in the top 1% you need around $800k a year, according to the video’s 2021 figure, probably higher now. That is not hundreds of millions or even one million.
People stare at the peak of the mountain and never bother reaching base camp.
2. They don’t understand that success happens overnight
Look at the long-term stock chart of any company. Take Nvidia: the moment it became successful looks like a blip compared with the time it spent working toward it. Success is not linear like the gym, where you see progress every couple of months.
An idea is only worth a million dollars after someone has made a million dollars from it, and success is the same. People expect quick results and do not play the game long enough. If you are doing the right things, it is a matter of time, provided you survive the whole nine yards.
3. They are afraid to lose what they already have
Success has a price. You pay with the time it takes to educate yourself, with the opportunities you miss while focused, and with the tools you need. It is a trade.
Many people will not give up current resources for a possible higher return. Getting where they are was already hard, the risk seems too high, they do not trust themselves to land on their feet and they have nothing solid to fall back on. That makes the risk feel bigger than it is.
4. They overestimate how hard it is
This goes hand in hand with the first point. A grandiose picture of success that is not anchored in reality makes the path look harder than it is.
Many people say they cannot afford to go all in on something that may fail, with bills, mortgages and dependants in the way. So why go all in at all? This is not a Hollywood movie, and the wrong mindset is overcommitment.
It is about consistency. Small actions daily are what put you on the path.
5. They take unsuccessful paths
With some people you know it is going to go badly: dead-end jobs, toxic relationship patterns, unhealthy behaviour. A 180-degree move is needed, and it is really hard to pick yourself up when you keep letting yourself down.
Some things are clearly not going to work no matter how hard you hit your head against the wall. People get stuck in their way of being and cannot see the many other paths available. It is not about skills or opportunities, only about choice.
6. They have outdated mentalities
The world is changing faster than we can adapt, and a decade has never looked so different from the one before. Tell someone in 2014 that robots would take over painting jobs within ten years, the video says, and they would not believe you. Change is only speeding up.
An old mentality struggles to understand how the world works today, and if you cannot understand it, how can you find your place in it?
7. They believe there is a limited amount of success
Success is personal and the only limit is the one you set. Many believe someone else must fail for them to succeed, and since they follow successful people, they feel they have already lost. They see every mountain full of people at the top and nothing left at the bottom.
So they cannot think of a better idea because the good ones are taken, cannot improve anything because it is optimised, and cannot find a voice because others have millions of followers.
Success is not about being better than someone else. You are successful because you are who you wanted to be.
8. They are afraid to look stupid
The second you work toward your own success, people around you will try to pull you down so they feel better about themselves. The one exception is usually your parents, because your success shows they did a great job.
People may try to make you look stupid so they seem smarter by comparison. If you are not emotionally mature enough to see what is happening, it can feel uncomfortable.
9. It’s against human nature
We are wired to avoid risk to stay alive. Going off the beaten path in search of a better life goes against that nature because it brings risk and uncertainty.
Some people have a desire for a better life that outweighs the safe instinct. They feel their untapped potential waiting and cannot stay still, and for them following the crowd is the scary path. Most people are not like that, and breaking free of human nature takes self-awareness and courage.
10. They don’t know how to start
Some people lack the tools or the framework. They feel lost and overwhelmed, know they have potential and do not know where to deploy it.
Everyone has what it takes, the argument goes, and it is a matter of putting your resources in the right place.
11. They don’t have enough ambition
Ambition is the desire for you to do something. It starts from within and is one of the only feelings you can have only for yourself, since you cannot be ambitious for someone else.
Because it starts within, it requires knowing who you are and what you really want, which most people are bad at. You cannot muster ambition for something better if you do not know what you want.
12. They don’t have a good reason
Success in any area needs consistent action over a long time, and you will not provide it without a good reason. For most people the longest thing they ever did was go to school every day for years, and the reason was that they were told to and had no say.
They are not used to sticking with something long after it turns monotonous.
13. They are not willing to put in the work
Hard work alone will not make you successful by default, but it is still required. People chase success because it is worth it, not because it is easy, yet some cannot see the worth. They get too prideful, and it is easier to complain about unfair disadvantages.
14. They lack discipline
Discipline is what you rely on when motivation fades. Hyping yourself up every morning is tiring, and motivation is a fleeting feeling. Discipline is a set of rules you make and enforce, so you do the thing because you know it is good for you.
Most people lack it because the world robs them of focus and attention. Their mind buzzes constantly and blurs their long-term vision.
15. They have a poor mindset
It comes down to mindset and how you position yourself in the world. If you see yourself as unprepared, uneducated and undeserving, that is all you will be. If your mind is not ready, all efforts are futile.
Bonus: some people are scared of success, because it means putting yourself out there and becoming visible and vulnerable.
Fear of being seen
The bonus reason is that trying to be successful means making yourself seen, and in the end vulnerable. Some people are terrified of that, mostly from impostor syndrome and fear of rejection, so they prefer staying on the ground to risking a fall from the top.
Read the list as a checklist rather than a verdict. Every item is a belief or a habit, and both can be changed.
FAQ
Why do most people never become successful?
It is not who they are or where they come from, but things they do themselves: chasing billionaire-level success, expecting fast results, fearing loss, taking unsuccessful paths, holding outdated mentalities and lacking discipline, among others.
How much do you need to earn to be in the top 1%?
Around $800k a year as of 2021, and probably a bit higher now. It points out that this is far less than most people imagine.
Does success happen overnight?
In the big picture it does. A company’s long-term stock chart makes its breakthrough look like a blip, because success is not linear and people quit before it arrives.
Do you need to go all in to succeed?
No. The video calls the go-all-in mindset the wrong one and says success is about consistency: small actions taken daily.
What is the difference between discipline and motivation?
Motivation is a fleeting feeling. Discipline is a set of rules you make and enforce, so you act because it is good for you even when motivation fades.
Keep reading
- 15 Limiting Beliefs & How to Succeed beyond Them
- 10 Mistakes Most People Make on Their Path to Success
- Cathie Wood: The Most Successful Investor You Never Heard of
