🚨 The Brutal Truth About Why Some People Never Succeed (No Matter How Hard They Try)

The hidden patterns I discovered after watching thousands fail while a select few prospered (and it's not what you think)

I've spent the last decade watching people fail.

That sounds harsh, doesn't it? Like I'm some creepy dude sitting in the corner getting off on other people's misfortune.

But hear me out.

I've failed more times than most people even try. And through those failures – both mine and others' – I've spotted patterns that most people don't want to talk about.

You know why? Because the truth hurts. And what I'm about to share with you isn't the feel-good "just believe in yourself" bullshit you'll find plastered across LinkedIn.

This is the real deal. The stuff that kept me up at night when I was working in that soul-crushing call center job. The insights that hit me like a freight train when I was watching my startup crumble.

The revelations that came after spending years in both corporate boardrooms and entrepreneurial trenches.

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The Success Delusion That's Killing Your Dreams

Here's a scene that plays out every single day:

Someone quits their job to "follow their passion." They've read all the books. Watched all the YouTube videos. Created their vision board. They're ready to conquer the world.

Six months later, they're back at a desk job, wondering what the hell went wrong.

I used to think these people failed because they didn't work hard enough. Boy, was I wrong. Some of the hardest working people I know are stuck in an endless loop of almost-success.

They're like hamsters on a wheel – running their hearts out but getting nowhere.

The Hidden Virus In Your Mind

The first brutal truth is this: Most people are infected with a virus. Not the kind that makes you sick – the kind that makes you stupid.

This virus has three strains:

1. The "If-Then" Syndrome

2. The Comparison Complex

3. The Tomorrow Trap

Let's break these down, because I guarantee you're infected with at least one of them.

The "If-Then" Syndrome

"If I just get that promotion, then I'll be happy."

"If I can make six figures, then I'll feel successful."

"If I can get 10,000 followers, then my business will take off."

Sound familiar?

I had a friend – let's call him Mike – who was the king of "If-Then" thinking.

Every time he reached a goal, he'd immediately move the goalposts. Made $100K? Now he needed $200K. Got the dream job? Now he needed a better one.

Last I heard, Mike was making seven figures. Want to know what he told me recently? "If I can just hit eight figures, then I'll feel like I've made it."

The virus had him so deep he couldn't even see it.

The Comparison Complex

Social media is like cocaine for this virus. Every scroll fills your brain with images of people "living their best life." But here's what they don't show you:

• The credit card debt behind those vacation photos

• The failed marriages behind those "power couple" posts

• The crushing anxiety behind those "crushing it" captions

I remember sitting in a meeting with a "successful" entrepreneur who seemed to have it all. Amazing house, beautiful family, thriving business. After everyone left, he broke down and admitted he was three months away from bankruptcy.

But his Instagram? Still perfect.

The Tomorrow Trap

This is the deadliest strain of all.

"I'll start my business tomorrow."

"I'll write my book tomorrow."

"I'll change my life tomorrow."

Tomorrow is a drug. It gives you just enough hope to feel good while keeping you exactly where you are.

The Success Paradox Nobody Talks About

Want to know the really messed up part?

The people who succeed often do so precisely because they've failed so spectacularly that they have nothing left to lose.

I saw this firsthand when I lost everything. My startup died. My relationships crumbled. My bank account hit zero.

But in that moment, something magical happened: I stopped giving a fuck about what success was supposed to look like.

And that's when everything changed.

The Five Invisible Walls Between You and Success

Through all my observations and personal face-plants, I've identified five major barriers that keep people stuck.

These aren't the obvious ones like "lack of education" or "not enough capital." These are the silent killers that nobody wants to acknowledge.

1. The Permission Paradox

You're waiting for someone to tell you it's okay to succeed. To validate your ideas. To give you the green light.

News flash: That permission will never come.

The most successful people I know didn't wait for permission – they gave it to themselves. They didn't ask if they were ready; they just started.

I remember watching a colleague pitch a million-dollar idea to our boss. The boss said no.

You know what my colleague did? He quit and built it anyway. Two years later, his company was acquired for eight figures.

He didn't need permission. He took it.

2. The Comfort Conspiracy

Your brain is literally wired to keep you comfortable. It's a survival mechanism from our cave-dwelling days. The problem is, success lives outside your comfort zone.

This isn't motivational speaker bullshit – it's neuroscience.

Every time you try something new, your brain floods with cortisol. It's trying to protect you from the unknown. The people who never succeed are the ones who listen to that voice.

3. The Identity Trap

Here's a mind-bender for you: You're not failing at success; you're succeeding at failure.

Why?

Because your actions aren't aligned with your identity. You say you want to be an entrepreneur, but you think like an employee. You say you want to be wealthy, but you have a poor person's mindset.

I spent years calling myself a writer but never writing. Want to know what changed?

I started writing every day, even when it was terrible. Especially when it was terrible. The identity followed the action, not the other way around.

4. The Knowledge-Action Gap

You know what to do. You're just not doing it.

I've met people who've read every self-help book on the planet. They can quote Tony Robbins in their sleep. They've attended all the seminars. But they're still stuck.

Why?

Because knowledge without action is just entertainment.

5. The Success Immune System

This is the weirdest one of all: Some people are actually allergic to success.

Every time they get close to breaking through, they self-sabotage. It's like their psychological immune system kicks in and attacks their progress.

I watched a talented friend land her dream job, only to get "mysteriously" sick every morning until she got fired. Her success immune system was protecting her from the unknown.

The Uncomfortable Solution

Ready for the solution? It's going to piss you off because it's so simple:

Stop trying to succeed.

No, seriously. Stop it.

Instead, start failing actively rather than passively.

Here's what I mean:

Passive Failure:

• Waiting for the perfect moment

• Planning endlessly

• Consuming more information

• Making excuses

• Blaming circumstances

Active Failure:

• Taking imperfect action

• Learning from real feedback

• Creating instead of consuming

• Finding solutions

• Owning your circumstances

The Reset Protocol

If you're ready to break free from this cycle, here's your game plan:

Step 1: The Identity Audit

Write down who you think you are. Then write down what your actions say about who you are.

The gap between these two lists is what's keeping you stuck.

Step 2: The Permission Slip

Write yourself a permission slip to succeed.

Sounds silly? Do it anyway.

Make it official. Sign it. Date it.

This is your brain's new operating system.

Step 3: The Failure Schedule

Plan to fail at least once a week. Not accidentally – intentionally.

Ask for things you don't think you'll get.

Apply for positions you're not qualified for.

Pitch ideas that might be rejected.

Step 4: The Comfort Zone Audit

List everything you're comfortable with.

Now do the opposite of one thing on that list every day.

Comfortable with routine? Change it up.

Comfortable in silence? Speak up.

Step 5: The Success Immune System Hack

Every time you feel resistance to success, write it down.

These are your psychological antibodies at work.

Name them. Face them.

Then do exactly what they're trying to prevent you from doing.

The Brutal Truth About Change

Change isn't an event – it's an identity shift.

You don't become successful by doing successful things. You become successful by becoming a different person who naturally does those things.

This is why most people never succeed: They're trying to do different things while remaining the same person.

The Final Paradox

Here's the paradox most don't see coming:

The people who succeed aren't actually trying to succeed.

They're trying to become.

Become what?

Themselves. Their real selves.

Not the version their parents wanted. Not the version social media celebrates. Not the version their fear created.

Just themselves.

Final Words

You've got two choices after reading this:

1. Get defensive and explain why none of this applies to you

2. Get honest and decide if you're ready to change

The first choice is comfortable. The second is correct.

And hey, if this newsletter pissed you off, good. That's your success immune system trying to protect you from change.

Now you know what it feels like.

The question is: What are you going to do about it?

“Success isn't something you chase. It's something you become.”

And becoming starts now.

Not tomorrow.

Not when you're ready.

Not when the timing is perfect.

Now.

Are you ready to become?

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“Awesome Human Beings” isn't just another newsletter—it's your weekly blueprint for extraordinary living.

Get exclusive access to mind-expanding insights and transformative frameworks to unlock your version 2.0.