• Skip to main content
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer

Sources of Insight

Unleash Your Infinite Potential!

  • ABOUT
  • ARTICLES
    • Latest Articles
    • Personal Development
    • Future Self
    • Emotional Intelligence
    • Happiness
    • Mental Health
    • All Topics
  • BOOKS
  • COURSES
  • RESOURCES
  • CONTACT

The Difference Between Those Who Succeed and Those Who Fail

by JD

Man greeting golden rising of the sun

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” — Winston S. Churchill

What is the difference between those who achieve success and those who fail?

The difference is how we handle the challenges in our life.

Life pays you what you ask for.  If you ask for a quarter, you get a quarter.  If you set a higher bar, you achieve a higher bar.

In the book, Unlimited Power: The New Science of Personal Achievement, Tony Robbins shares through a simple story how he learned the difference between those who succeed and those who fail.

Sleeping in the Streets

One night, after a seminar, Tony Robbins encountered a man living on the streets.  This street beggar gave Tony Robbins a new view on what separates those who succeed from those who fail.

Via Unlimited Power: The New Science of Personal Achievement:

“Not long ago I was in Boston.  Alter a seminar one night, I took a midnight stroll around Copley Square.  I was taking in the buildings, which range from modern skyscrapers to structures as old as America, when I noticed a man wobbling back and forth, coming my way.  He looked as though he’d been sleeping in the streets for weeks.  He smelled of alcohol and looked as if he hadn’t shaved in months.”

Life Will Pay Whatever You Ask

Be careful what you ask for.  Ask for too little and you just might get it.

Via Unlimited Power: The New Science of Personal Achievement:

“I figured he would come up and beg for money.  Well, as you think, so you attract.  He approached and asked, ‘Mister, could you loan me a quarter?’ First I asked myself if I wanted to reward his behavior.  Then I told myself I didn’t him to suffer.  Either way, a quarter was not going to make much difference.  So I figured the least I could do was try to teach him a lesson.  ‘A quarter?  That’s what you want, a quarter?  And he said, ‘Just a quarter.’ So I reached in my pocket, pulled out a quarter, and said, ‘Life will pay any price you ask of it.’  The guy looked stunned, and then he staggered away.”

Those Who Succeed and Those Who Fail

It’s a world of difference between those who can do whatever they want, whenever they want, wherever they want, with whoever they want … and those who can’t.  What is that difference?

Via Unlimited Power: The New Science of Personal Achievement:

“As I watched him go, I thought about the difference between those who succeed and those who fail.  I thought, What’s the difference between him and me?  Why is my life such a joy that I can do whatever I want, whenever I want, wherever I want, with whomever I want?  He’s maybe sixty years old and living in the street, begging for quarters.  Did God come down and say, “Robbins, you’ve been good.  You get to live your dream life”?  It’s not likely.  Did someone give me superior resources or advantages? I don’t think so.  I was once in a state almost as bad as his, although I didn’t drank as much alcohol or sleep in the street.”

The Difference is How We Handle Challenges

The difference between those who succeed and those who fail is how we manage challenges.  If you can learn to manage your stages and manage your behaviors, you can change anything.

Via Unlimited Power: The New Science of Personal Achievement:

“I think part of the difference is the answer I gave him — that life will pay you whatever you ask of it.  Ask for a quarter, and that’s what you’ll get.  Ask for resounding joy and success, you’ll get that, too.  Everything I’ve studied convinces me that if you learn to manage your stages and manage your behaviors, you can change anything.  You can learn what to ask of life, and you can be sure to get it.  Over the following months, I met more street people and asked them about their lives and how they got there.  I began to find we had similar challenges in common.  The difference is in how we handled them.”

You get what you expect.

If you want more, then expect more.

Don’t give up.

Your challenges are opportunities to become smarter, more creative, and more capable.

You Might Also Like

5 Sources of Beliefs for Personal Excellence

7 Beliefs for Personal Excellence

Realizing Your Potential is a Dynamic Process

Tony Robbins on the 7 Traits of Success

Where Do Beliefs Come From?

Category: Book Nuggets, Life Hacks, Success

About JD

Previous Post:Developing MindfulnessMindful Transformation: 8 Practices to Act Your Way to Mindfulness
Next Post:Heart-Led LeadershipHeart-Led Leadership

Sidebar

About the Author

JDI am J.D. Meier. Microsoft 25 years. Join me on a quest for the world's best insight and action for work and life. Learn more...

My Best-Selling Book

This is the book that changes lives ...

Become the greatest version of yourself!

Unleash your greatest potential! Better insights, better results! Learn proven practices for mind, body, emotions, career, finance, relationships, spirituality, and fun.

Growth. Resilience. Strength.

Growth is the art of embracing change, constantly refining our skills, and expanding our potential in a world of endless possibilities. Resilience is our ability to bounce back, turning adversities into opportunities, and leveraging setbacks as powerful lessons. Strength is the foundation, rooted in our values and beliefs, that empowers us to navigate challenges and shape our unique path forward.

Stand on the Shoulders of Giants!

Stand on the shoulders of giants and awaken your greatness. Leverage wisdom of the ages and modern sages to explore and expand what you’re capable of. Draw from great books, great people, and great quotes to be more and achieve more.

Topics

  • All Topics
  • Personal Development
  • Future Self
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Leadership
  • Personal Effectiveness
  • Productivity
  • Mental Health

Features

  • Featured Guests
  • Book Summaries
  • Books I Recommend
  • Great Lessons
  • Great Quotes
  • How Tos
  • Lists
  • Products I Recommend
  • All Resources

My Other Sites

  • JD Meier.com
  • Getting Results.com

Copyright © 2023 · Sources of Insight · All Rights Reserved