Intuitively, we’d tend to think that being successful makes it more likely that our future endeavors will be successful.

In reality, that’s not the case. If anything, it’s the opposite.

Like everyone else, we typically start with simple tasks. If we’re the type of person who is good at solving problems and achieving goals, we excel.

So we’re given a more challenging problem, in which we get to compete with other people who were successful at the easy problem(s).

Then we take on an even more challenging problem, against even more capable competition.

And so on.

As we have more and more success, it actually becomes more and more challenging to continue to excel to the same degree that we did previously. Not because we’re becoming less capable, but because we’re taking on more ambitious obstacles.

If we choose to follow this path of increasing complexity, it’s worth realizing that we’re not playing the same game as when we started.

-Brandon