Will the Moment You ‘Make It’ Be the Moment You Start Falling Behind?
What happens after success?
In leadership and personal growth, there’s a danger we don’t talk about enough: what happens after success.
We celebrate growth, and we should.
But there’s a quiet danger waiting just after we hit a new milestone, when the applause fades, the inbox quiets, and you go to bed at night telling yourself: “I’ve made it.” That may come at the first big-paying job, or first house purchase, or first senior leadership position, or reaching 10K subscribers.
But that is often the beginning of the fall.
Most people assume failure is the great threat to growth. It’s not. I’d argue success is. Not because success is bad. But because success, left unexamined, breeds the belief that we’re done. Done stretching, done learning, done risking. Done doing what got us to succeed.
And that belief? It kills momentum long before anyone notices.
Why I Learn Strange Things
I’m originally from Bolivia. There, decades ago, learning English opened doors that changed my life and reshaped my worldview. That first leap taught me something I’ve never forgotten: every meaningful change starts with a stretch beyond your comfort zone.
That mindset stuck.
Which is probably why, even now, I constantly chase new skills. I’ve taught myself to juggle, learned to craft latte art, and pushed into competitive chess. Not because any of it is “strategic,” but because staying curious keeps me humble.
The moment I start protecting what I already know, I know I’m in danger of becoming stagnant.
Success Feels Like a Signal to Coast
After a win, we usually want one thing: rest. That’s normal.
But what begins as rest often slides into autopilot. And over time, autopilot slides into irrelevance. You stop seeking feedback because affirmation is easier. You do more of what you’re already good at, because experimenting might add risk.
As John Maxwell said:
“The greatest enemy of learning is knowing.” - John Maxwell
You might still be “winning” by the world’s standards. But inwardly, you’re plateauing.
And here’s the real problem: what got you here won’t get you there.
“What got you here won’t get you there.” - Marshall Goldsmith
If we want to keep growing, we have to keep letting go of what worked, of what’s safe, of our own ego. Because the truth is: arrival is a myth. And coasting is just another word for drifting.
Mission-driven Work
I’m a leader in a humanitarian aid organization. In mission-driven spaces, nonprofits, ministry, and humanitarian aid, this danger hits even harder.
We tell ourselves the mission matters most. But we forget: so does the messenger.
You can’t pour vision into others if you’re running on the fumes of past growth. You can’t keep doing what you do successfully if you’re no longer learning anything new, if you are not adding fuel to your engine.
The moment we think we've won, we lose the edge that made us effective in the first place.
Keep Learning, Even When No One’s Watching
The people I trust most aren’t the ones with the best résumés. They’re the ones who keep learning when no one’s making them. They ask dumb questions. Try new things. Stay a little uncomfortable.
They’re the people who refuse to get stuck and often never mention their last success once they’re past it, focused on the next.
And they know what Proverbs 1:5 reminds us:
“Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance.” (ESV)
Try This: Stay in Growth Mode
If you’re serious about staying sharp and growing through, not just after, success, here are a few simple but powerful actions to re-ignite your curiosity and momentum:
Write down 5 books you want to read this year.
Don’t overthink it. Here are a few on my list:The Psychology of Money
Ultralearning
Nexus
The Long Game
Ruthless Elimination of Hurry
List 2 skills you want to develop next.
Delegation? Clearer communication? Public speaking? Just pick a few and then choose a free course that can guide you.Block 90 minutes this month to learn something random.
Chess, sourdough, drawing, latte art, whatever. Not everything has to be strategic to be formative. Random curiosity builds flexible, creative minds.
If You Only Remember This:
Success tempts you to coast. But coasting is just a slow decline.
You never really “arrive,” you only decide whether or not to keep growing.
Curiosity is the one skill you should never stop developing.
What is something new you have been learning lately? Really, I want to know, maybe I’ll try learning it too!
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