The Price of Success

Are you willing to pay?

Jul 23, 2023

Hi friends. Welcome to the YouTopian Journey. Today’s issue discusses the real price of success.

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BEFORE WE BEGIN

Dive into the world of clarity and credibility with Mitchell Levy, the Global Credibility Expert. His Substack is your weekly guide to enhancing personal and professional relevance, empowering you to shine in all walks of life. Subscribe today and unlock strategies that not only boost your credibility but also instill a profound sense of self-value. You subscribe for free here.

Now onto the good stuff.

THE PRICE

“I do not know if I shall make progress, but I prefer to lack success rather than to lack faith.”-Seneca

I sat down and chatted with SuperWarm AI the other day. You can read the full interview here. A lot of people have been reaching out to me as a result of it, which was nice. But one thing I noticed is that while many people appreciate the success of others, they doubt their innate ability to achieve success for themselves. They don’t think that the accolades that await them are possible. They believe that the difficulties are too insurmountable.

This is foolish thinking.

We are all capable of success.

We are all capable of greatness.

But there is a price to be paid.

Are you willing to pay?

Success doesn’t come easy. There is a cost. The road you pave is filled with obstacles. The tolls you encounter must be paid.

There is no negotiation.

You must pay.

This price cannot be avoided. It cannot be faked. It cannot be postponed.

You cannot rely on past measures of success to justify your efforts for today and tomorrow. Past accolades, grades, achievements, they all mean nothing when endeavoring to find success in something new.

“You can get all A's and still flunk life.”-Walker Percy, The Second Coming

Your only choice is to pay the price.

Pay or face mediocrity.

The choice is yours.

So what is the price then?

Time, commitment, sacrifice, setbacks, and isolation.

Success requires countless hours dedicated to your goal. This means sacrificing leisure time, hobbies, and personal relationships. It means focusing on your work while everyone else is having fun. It means staring at the blank screen rather than scrolling through social media. Late nights, early mornings, and weekends spent working become the norm. While you can outsource much of the work, you cannot mitigate all of it. Your new squad will bear the names, stress, anxiety, and burnout. Your new colors will be black and blue.

The price is also paid in commitment and sacrifice. It requires making tough choices and prioritizing one's goals over other aspects of life. The tailgating you love so much needs to be put on hold. The trip to the Bahamas for a weekend getaway is no longer an option. Comfort and security become notions of the past. You may find yourself in uncertainty and instability before achieving your goals.

The price includes setbacks and failures. It means working on something for months, supporting it with resources, and having it result in nothing. Your greatest plans and visions are nothing more than ashes in reality. You will find that the world does not care for your efforts and only for your results. This can destroy many before they are even capable of pivoting and making the attempt again.

Most importantly, the price includes isolation. Achieving great things often means standing out from the crowd and going against the grain. It means becoming a target. It means endeavoring to break the status quo. This isn’t a popular move. Don’t expect this to bring in the big bucks or the millions of followers at the start.

“Success comes only to those who lead the life of endeavor.”-Theodore Roosevelt

GO ALL THE WAY

“To get what you love, you must first be patient with what you hate.”-Al-Ghazali

I am going to leave you with one of my favorite passages from Charles Bukowski. I hope it prepares you to pay the price.

Because, believe me, it is truly worth it.

But you must have the stomach for success.

You must be able to push on when everyone around you says to stop.

You must be able to keep going when the path before you is filled with darkness and obstacles.

You must be able to fail and to keep failing.

You must be able to face isolation and learn to enjoy it.

Above all, you must be able to do it again and again.

“If you're going to try, go all the way. Otherwise, don't even start. This could mean losing girlfriends, wives, relatives and maybe even your mind. It could mean not eating for three or four days. It could mean freezing on a park bench. It could mean jail. It could mean derision. It could mean mockery--isolation. Isolation is the gift. All the others are a test of your endurance, of how much you really want to do it. And, you'll do it, despite rejection and the worst odds. And it will be better than anything else you can imagine. If you're going to try, go all the way. There is no other feeling like that. You will be alone with the gods, and the nights will flame with fire. You will ride life straight to perfect laughter. It's the only good fight there is.”-Charles Bukowski.

You will be better for this.

I promise you.

Shaun

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See you next time.

Shaun