Reverse psychology can sound manipulative, but it is sometimes a necessary evil when looking at oneself in the mirror. I’ll explain it. When things fall into place and everything seems to be working out great, this is the time you need NOT get comfortable. Sure, you’ll want to enjoy the fruits of your labor, but you should never stop planning and making moves because this is where many begin to lose the discipline that helped produce the results in the first place. 

It’s akin to going to the gym. Constant maintenance fueled by discipline and routine is the only way to keep yourself where you want to be, and this is echoed even further through the avenues of finance and business. Sure, the trophies, accolades, and material rewards can be necessary to stoking your competitive fire. Still, it would help if you were careful not to fall into a state of complacency to the point where you can become blindsided by your achievements’ glitz and glory. You see, success – no matter how you define it – creates high levels of euphoria and comfort, and while there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, you do have to remember that this is the time to push the boundaries and think about breaking the next set of barriers to break.

If you want to stay one step ahead of your competition, the one thing you have to realize is that success not only breeds envy and fear but even worse; it breeds copy cats and “goalies” – a term I use to define those who want to block you from achieving your goals. These two adversaries can be toxic and dangerous to your vision, but they can become reinforcement tools as well. Whether you see them as a serious threat or not, goalies should keep you on your toes and be just another reason you should keep your foot on the gas. 

Of course, the funniest thing about all this is the fact that no one bothers you on the way up, but once you’ve officially put yourself on the map, nobody wants you to win. It may sound not very optimistic, but the fact of the matter is that this is just human nature and a sign of the times in the culture we live in today. Everyone wants to see a good fight, but society has  become obsessed with the victors’ downfall, solely to see them work their way back up. While I agree that redemption is sweet, staying on top is even more compelling, just don’t get caught with your head in the clouds. The late film icon Dame Elizabeth Taylor once remarked, “Success is a great deodorant.” It’s true; just don’t get caught up in smelling the roses, too.

JVJ