Day 141 - The Danger of Following Another's RX

February 27, 2025

Curious about the dangers of following another person's prescription for success. They tell you there are five simple ways to be successful. You buy their material, you read it, you spend time on it, and you even try to implement it. However, you will always come to the realization that any formula for success is worked out by the person that has been in the trenches doing it for a long time. It easy to tell someone the "secret to success is...." after you have gone through all the tough times, the struggles, the crucible.

Episode Transcript

Guy Reams (00:01.282)
This is Day 141, The Danger of Following Another's Prescription.

Guy Reams (00:09.078)
It's tempting to believe that success can be reduced to a formula. Five steps. Three principles. One secret. Someone who has made it lays out their prescription, their Rx, for success. And it's hard not to lean in. After all, it worked for them. Shouldn't it work for you? So you buy their material, you read their books, you listen to their speeches, and maybe even try to follow their steps exactly.

But at some point frustration sets in. The pieces don't quite fit. The results don't match. And you begin to wonder, why isn't this working for me? Well, there's a missing variable. What those success formulas fail to mention is that they were created after the fact. They were written by someone who has already fought their battles, weathered their storms, and climbed their mountains. It's easy to tell someone the secret to success is once you've reached the summit.

But the journey itself? That's the messy part. It's full of wrong terms, hard lessons, and personal realizations that can't be packaged neatly into a list of steps. There's always the illusion of a shortcut. We want a shortcut, a direct route, a guarantee. But that's the danger of following another person's prescription. It assumes that what worked for them will work for you.

It ignores your own starting point, your own challenges, and your own unique strengths. Success just simply is not a formula. It's a process. It's a commitment. And most importantly, it's something that you have to work out for yourself. So what was the best advice I ever got? Honestly, the best advice I ever received was this. Pick a path and get on it. Not because it's the right path.

not because it's a guaranteed-to-work path, but because forward motion, trial and error, and persistence are what lead to personal growth. The path itself will teach you what no book or seminar ever could. It's okay to learn from others. It's okay to take inspiration from their journey. But at the end of the day, the only prescription that matters is the one you write for yourself. So pick a path. Step forward. Adjust as you go.

Guy Reams (02:32.537)
That's the real secret to success.