As the halfway point of 2026 is fast approaching, many are recalibrating their dreams, goals, and desires for the rest of the year. I include myself in this big time. Depending on where you’re at on this journey, I thought I’d share a realization I had while speaking with a young woman recently about the ideal called ‘success’.
Although most of us want to achieve ‘success’, very few of us truly understand the process, and even fewer realize who we need to become to accomplish it… thus, the truth about success no one tells you.
Growing up in a family of politicians, the young woman I was speaking with marveled at and admired the impact her parents had on their community through political office, and found her passion. With that inspiration lit, she knew from an early age that she would follow in her parents’ footsteps in politics and diligently prepared and waited for opportunity to knock.
When the opportunity presented itself, she eagerly jumped in with both feet and pursued her lifelong dream with unbridled energy and enthusiasm. Though the hours were long and the work arduous, she had found her calling…until adversity struck.
Caught in the dark underbelly of politics, she found herself in the eye of a political media storm and with seemingly no way out; this gust of challenge blew out her flame to never be ignited again.
While listening to her story, I immediately thought of ‘success’ in politics as being measured by election to high-level offices and realized that to reach those heights you would have to endure serious bouts of private, public, and political challenge. Much more than the initial conflict that was strong enough to extinguish her flame… and the reason so few attain it.
The fallacy of ‘success’ for someone who doesn’t understand it is, “it gets easier as you achieve more of it.” For those who have not achieved high levels of ‘success’, increasing levels of accomplishment can appear to create fame, celebrity, fortune, and what looks like the solution to all their problems.
This could not be further from the truth.
The late and legendary Biggie Smalls said it best when he sang, “More money, more problems.” The truth about success is that, though it’s worth it, it gets harder as you go up, not easier. The difference between those who make it and those who don’t has very little to do with ‘what’ they do and more to do with ‘who’ they are. The real work lies in building a personal foundation strong enough to meet any challenge you will face.
The cold, unwavering fact is that with every step up the ladder of success, more challenges will arise. Your ability to handle each challenge and persevere will determine your capacity for success. The size and height of your dreams will determine the depth and strength of the personal foundation you must build first. Without it, as in the story of the three little pigs, the big, bad wolf of challenge will blow out the fire of your dream!
This is the truth about the elusiveness of success. Build your foundation deep and strong, and be not weary in the process, for in due time you shall reap the rewards. Stay committed, steady, and most importantly;
Be Larger Than…
