Why Some People Succeed And Others Don’t

We know that practicing success habits day in and day out is the path to success (and more on success habits later), but why do some people practice success habits and others don’t?

Earl Nightingale, in his book The Strangest Secret, said:

“Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal.”

Said another way, seeing yourself make progress on your goals gives you the feeling of success.

He also said, “People with goals succeed because they know where they are going.”

All the great business leaders before us agree.

The late Zig Zigler said: “You’ve got to have those goals!”

Brain Tracy said: Success is goals and all else is commentary.”

I wholeheartedly agree that you must know what exactly you want to achieve (goals), write it down with a due date by it.

Then you must not forget:

Unpack the milestones, then steps, and then, most importantly, the daily habits to achieve it.

Finally, track the daily habits you accomplish toward your goals.

This now begs the question…

Why do some people set goals and others don’t?

Beliefs.

It all starts with beliefs.

You will not act on something unless you first believe it’s possible.

Forming a new belief can come from many places such as divine inspiration or revelation, to somebody you hold in high regard inspiring you.

SIDE NOTE: Leaders, it’s your duty to inspire your team every day. More on that in another article.

Some people believe that safety comes from having a safe job rather than striking out on their own and starting their own business.

While we believe that striking out on our own will lead to freedom and we find our security in building multiple employers (ie: customers) rather than risking everything on just one employer.

Some people believe in one political party while others believe in another.

Some people believe they need to engage in arguing about their political beliefs while others believe it’s not productive to argue and focus on productive conversations.

Some people believe that sleep is for the weak, while some people believe that a proper night’s rest is crucial for optimal mental and physical performance.

The Biggest Danger With Beliefs

Whatever you have decided to believe, your brain will now work relentlessly to find proof to back up your beliefs, regardless if it’s completely true or not.

Example 1: Employee vs. Owner

If you believe that holding down a steady job is the smart and safe way to go, you will look for examples to prove you are correct.

And you’ll find many.

On the flip side, if you believe that building your own business is the way to go, you, too, will continue to search out examples to prove that you are correct.

And you will find many.

Example 2: Politics

Whichever position you take, you look for faults in the other sides position without consideration as to why they believe the way they do.

While at the same time brushing off the errors of the position or party that you follow.

Now, what about your business?

What beliefs do we hold regarding our business?

Let’s take finding more painters for example.

Yes, the work force is the toughest it’s ever been to my recollection.

Thanks in part to record unemployment. Or should I say record employment… 🙂

While these facts are true, you must choose to believe that there are good people out there looking for a better place to work.

If you believe that there are no good people/painters left to hire, then your brain will find your proof.

If you choose to believe that there are good people out there who are miserable where they are currently working

and would be grateful to find another opportunity for a great place to work, then your brain will start looking for opportunities to prove you are right.

SIDE NOTE: Make sure your company is an awesome place to work. “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” – Peter Druker

BONUS SIDE NOTE: Ask your team why they like working for you and then quote their answers in your hiring ads, as the benefits to working for your company.

What about sales?

If you believe that salesmen and women are only out for themselves then you are not going to do too well.

Which I used to believe myself.

This is a learned belief from watching too much TV growing up.

But if you believe that being a salesman or woman is one of the greatest opportunities to serve other people, then you will do very well.

Take it a Step Further

Believe that it is your moral obligation to help customers understand that your company is the best value for them, (assuming that you are the best value), so that they don’t go with the cheapest bid and receive a really bad experience.

Now, you’re on your way!

What about the belief of follow-up on proposals provided?

Maybe you believe that following up might make customers angry for interrupting them or you don’t want to be rejected.

(…which, by not following up, you’re already at rejected or at a “no” with the customer. You can’t get anymore “not hired” than you are by not following up. So you might as well follow up and ask them!)

Let’s trade that belief in for another one: believe, that the customer, like us, gets busy and would be grateful for a confident and diligent company to follow up.

You, too, like my friend and mentor Bob Burg once told me, “Will be on your way to greatness.” 😀

What beliefs are you currently struggling with?

I believe that I went through many of my struggles so that I could help others do the same.

The biggest challange though is that we cannot see our blind spots…

Book a quick strategy call with me today and let’s see if I can help you to finally break through some of your limiting beliefs here.

AUTOMOBILE UNIVERSITY

Here are some audio books and podcasts that DYB Mastermind Group (MG) members are listening to…

Ron Garhartz of MG10 is listening to Profit First for Contractors
Ryan Turley of MG10 is listening to The Compound Effect
Pat Coye of MG7 is listening to Brian Tracy’s Eat That Frog
Darrick Preble of MG1 is listening to The 4 Hour Workweek
James Miller of MG10 is listening to Crushing It

TECH TIP

Do you struggle to really get a grasp on how far along each project is?

Have you been caught off guard of a project completing soon that you were thought it would because you didn’t get a heads up?

TSheets and 4 Questions

We create a keyboard replacement or what iPhone calls “text replacement” on employees phones so all they have to type is something like “eod” for end of day, and then these 4 questions populate automatically on their phone and they simply answer them at the end of their day.

Safety Check: I was not injured today nor am I aware of any injuries. (unless injuries occurred)
Progress report: (what did you accomplish today?)
Chances of beating our goal: (speak to senior painter on the job if you do not know)
Estimated Completion day: (speak to senior painter on the job if you do not know)

Then at the end of each work day, when they clock out, they quickly type EOD into TSheets, add their answers, save, and you know what each person’s progress is for each job, every day.

Download this Above The Line poster here to print out and post in your shop.

When it comes to culture, you get what you tolerate.

Any questions, just hit reply or book a free strategy call here.

See you next week.







About the Author

As many of you know, my journey has been one of grit, grace, and transformation. At 19, I was a high school dropout, single father, and struggling paint contractor in Michigan. I later moved to Florida, where I faced both personal and professional hardships. With nothing left to lose, I turned to prayer—and was blessed with a relentless hunger to learn. I devoured books, attended seminars, and discovered better ways to streamline and grow my business—even through the Great Recession (and yes, I did hit the wife lottery along the way!). In 2014, I published How To Double Your Business and later sold the painting business, launching a new chapter: coaching others to grow their businesses. For the past 10 years, I’ve dedicated myself to helping business owners scale through the DYB System, while also drawing from frameworks like EOS, Scaling Up, and The Four Disciplines of Execution. Yet something was still missing—something more adaptive, integrated, and complete. Then I found Pinnacle. After months of research and interviews with other Guides, I joined Pinnacle. Their tools and strategies have exceeded every expectation. Now, as a Pinnacle Business Guide, I help leadership teams implement a custom-tailored operating system that draws from the best in the industry—but flexes with your unique business. It’s a dynamic, proven approach to achieve clarity, momentum, and lasting growth. I’m no longer taking on any more 1:1 coaching clients… Instead, I now specialize in working with visionary business owners who are ready to get their leadership teams aligned—around a clear vision, a focused strategy, and an actionable execution plan. With the tools and process I now have as a Pinnacle Business Guide, I help turn alignment into momentum, and momentum into results. If your business is growing—but your leadership team isn’t fully rowing in the same direction—let’s talk.