Mindset

5 Stupid Things Successful People Do That You Can Ignore

Instead, follow your own path

Photo by Jenny Hill on Unsplash

If you believe what you read, there are certain steps that all successful people follow. While it all sounds very convincing, it’s not actually true. It may be true for some successful people, but it’s certainly not true for all of them.

Following these steps won’t guarantee that you’ll be successful. Many unsuccessful people do the same things.

I haven’t seen any evidence that shows that following these steps will lead to success.

Ignore This — Get Up at 5 Am

I’m sure that there are successful people that get up at 5 am. I’m also sure that there are successful people that get up later in the day.

I’m also sure that there are millions of unsuccessful people that get up at 5 am.

In my younger days, I spent a few months picking potatoes at a local farm. It was back-breaking work and didn’t pay much at all. I used to get up at 5 am, cycle there, and start work at 6.

Nowadays I get up around 10 am. I earn much more money.

Success is more about what you do, not what time of day you do it. Sure, getting up at 5 am probably helps some people achieve success, but it doesn’t mean that you should get up at 5 am. Get up at whatever time suits you best.

Ignore This — Go for a 5 Mile Run Before Breakfast

Running for 5 miles might be a great way to start your day. If you love running, this may be a good way to start your day.

But let’s not pretend that running leads to success. As with the point above, there are plenty of people that take a long run before breakfast that aren’t successful.

I think it’s pretty obvious that most successful people don’t run at all, let alone run before breakfast. Don’t fall for the idea that you need to run 5 miles every day before work. Rather than have success, you may end up with damaged knees.

Ignore This — Get to the Office an Hour Before Everyone Else

Oh, how I loathe advice like this. If you work from an office you should be able to get your work done during office hours. There’s no need to arrive early or leave late unless those hours suit you.

The way to success is to work at the times when you are at your most productive. That could be the morning, afternoon, evening, or night.

Don’t get to work early just for the sake of it.

Ignore This — Have 3 Side Hustles and 8 Streams of Income

OK, this one hits closer to home, because I love side hustles and multiple income streams.

But what I want you to avoid is having multiple side hustles and multiple streams of income just because some gurus tell you that you need them.

You can be successful without any side hustles and with just one stream of income. It’s not what I’d want personally, but it suits some people.

Do what suits you. You don’t have to have to do what others tell you to do. Make up your own mind.

Ignore This — Have a House, a Car, a Wife/husband, and 2 Kids

Most successful people are portrayed as being pretty conventional, but there are plenty of examples of unconventional people that make it.

You don’t need to aspire to have that perfect family with a big house and a flash car.

You can be successful while living a fairly simple life. It depends on how you define success. And it is you that should be defining it. Don’t let others define it for you. We all have our own idea of what success is.

For some, it means a simple life with enough money to get by. For others, it means being a multi-millionaire or even a billionaire.

Play your own game with your own rules. Don’t play games where others have set the rules. Even if you win their games, winning may not make you happy. playing your own games is the way to go. It’s much more fun.


Don’t get me wrong, as some or all of the above can work for some people. But they’re not a recipe for guaranteed success. Just because a successful person follows a certain set of behaviors, it doesn’t follow that those behaviors contributed to their success.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking you have to follow what certain successful people suggest.