Why Most People Don’t Achieve Greatness: The Mindset Shift You Need
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Learn how to shift your mindset, embrace failure, and adopt strategic thinking to achieve greatness and reach your full potential in life and business.
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To understand why many people never reach their full potential, it's crucial to grasp a psychological concept called "learned helplessness."
This is when someone, after experiencing repeated failure or negative outcomes, comes to believe that their actions have no effect on their circumstances.
They stop trying because they assume that success is unattainable, even when opportunities are right in front of them.
We’ve all seen it.
Perhaps you have a friend who never believes they can achieve anything, no matter how hard they try.
It’s frustrating, right?
They refuse to see the possibilities and only focus on the obstacles.
This mindset, called selective skepticism, is the root of many people's struggles.
When faced with the chance to change their life — be it starting a business, meeting new people, or pursuing a dream — their unconscious response is often:
“Sounds like a scam.”
“I can’t do that because…”
“What if it doesn’t work?”
This thinking traps them in a cycle of mediocrity, where fear and doubt hold them back from trying.
The Truth: You Haven’t Failed Enough
The harsh truth is this: you haven’t failed enough.
If you're not succeeding, it’s likely because you gave up too soon.
You didn’t realise that failure is an essential part of success.
It’s the feedback you need to adjust and improve.
Success isn’t just about achieving goals—it’s about mastering the internal battle between your lower and higher self.
The key is shifting your mindset to embrace failure as a necessary tool for growth.
If you can learn to thrive in the face of uncertainty and failure, you will set yourself up for success in any area of life.
Winning the Mind Game
All of us have a project or goal that we want to pursue.
Whether it’s making millions, getting in shape, or building a business, the reality is that achieving any goal is a mind game.
If you don’t understand how your mind works and how it affects your decisions, you’ll find it hard to make any real progress.
The Mind as an Interpretive Filter
Our minds interpret the world around us in stories.
These stories shape our beliefs, goals, and values, and they define the way we perceive reality.
If you don’t understand the story you're living in, or if you're following someone else's path, you’ll struggle to find meaning and purpose.
Most people are unconsciously following the goals and beliefs imposed on them by society, their parents, or their peers.
But to achieve anything meaningful, you need to create your own story—a strategy that aligns with your true goals.
Your identity—who you are at your core—acts as a mental filter.
It influences what you notice and how you interpret events. If you see yourself as a failure, then your mind will filter out any information that contradicts this belief.
You’ll miss out on opportunities for success because you simply cannot see them.
Mistakes Are the Only Source of Truth
Most people look for success by following the strategies of others—books, podcasts, courses.
These are all maps that can guide you, but they are not the truth.
They are the conclusions drawn from someone else’s experiences.
To find true growth, you need to embrace your own mistakes.
Failure is the most reliable teacher because it is tailored specifically to your situation.
Every mistake you make teaches you something new about what works and what doesn’t.
How to Change Your Life with Strategic Thinking
Successful people don’t just stumble through life—they are highly strategic.
They don’t accept the default path given to them.
Instead, they actively choose the game they want to play and make sure they are equipped with the right skills to win.
Here's how you can adopt a strategic mindset:
Strategic Intent
Start by envisioning your ideal life.
What do you dislike about your current situation?
What could your future look like?
Write it down.
Your mind needs a new goal to guide you through life.
Once you have a clear direction, you can begin building your strategy.
Self-Analysis
Next, conduct a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats).
Identify your strengths and talents, but also be brutally honest about your weaknesses.
This self-awareness is the first step in changing your trajectory.
Use our SWOT Notion Template to help you.
Strategic Preparation
Surround yourself with people, books, and resources that align with your goals.
Change your environment to support the person you want to become.
This means decluttering your life of distractions—unfollow people who don't inspire you, stop consuming content that doesn’t serve your purpose, and invest in resources that will help you grow.
Concentration of Force
Focus on the most impactful projects that align with your goals.
Identify the few tasks that will make the biggest difference and concentrate your energy on them.
Success requires consistent, focused effort.
Don’t get distracted by the small stuff.
Disciplined Execution
Execution is where most people fail.
Without a solid routine, you won’t make progress.
You need to replace your old habits with new ones that are aligned with your goals.
Set aside dedicated time each day for your most important tasks and stay disciplined.
Adaptability
Strategies are not static.
They need to evolve based on feedback.
If something isn’t working, don’t be afraid to pivot.
Experimentation is the key to finding what works.
Study the General Principles of Nature
To understand life’s challenges, you need to recognize the general principles that govern all growth.
Just like a story, every challenge has a problem to solve, a journey to go on, and lessons to learn along the way.
Embrace the struggle—it’s an essential part of the process.
Final Thoughts
To succeed in life, you must shift your mindset.
The path to greatness isn’t about avoiding failure—it’s about using it as a tool for growth.
When you learn to embrace the lessons that failure brings, you begin to play the mind game at a higher level.
And that’s when you’ll start achieving the great things you’ve always dreamed of.
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