Basking in the glow of today's victory can set you up for tomorrow's defeat
Of all my speaking and writing in my consulting business, it can all be said to boil down to one single thing: teaching leaders how to become successful in the mortgage industry. After all, isn't that what we all want -- success? If we can say that we've achieved success, what more is there that we could possibly want? The whole point of playing the game is just that -- to achieve victory.
But, all of that being said, there is a problem with success. Basking in the glow of today's victory often results in tomorrow's defeat. When we get too comfortable with our wins, we let down our guards and become more susceptible to future losses. In other words, there is no such thing as "success" in general; there are only "successes." When we achieve a big win, it's perfectly fine to celebrate. But before we get to comfortable, we need to reorient ourselves toward the next game.
We see this sort of thing happen all the time in sports. A team will win the championship one season and then, when the next season rolls around, they'll be outcompeted by another team because they got too comfortable in the winner's circle. Success isn't something you achieve in a day, or even a year. It's built over an entire career of hard work and dedication. Don't get too comfortable in your work; always work like you're still behind and trying to catch up. You stop succeeding when you stop fighting.
