If success is a catalyst for failure because it leads to the “undisciplined pursuit of more,” then one simple antidote is the disciplined pursuit of less.

Not just haphazardly saying no, but purposefully, deliberately, and strategically eliminating the nonessentials.

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Instead of asking, “How much do I value this item?” we should ask “If I did not own this item, how much would I pay to obtain it?”

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Context:

Why don’t successful people and organizations automatically become very successful? One important explanation is due to “the clarity paradox,” which can be summed up in four predictable phases:

Phase 1: When we really have clarity of purpose, it leads to success.
Phase 2: When we have success, it leads to more options and opportunities.
Phase 3: When we have increased options and opportunities, it leads to diffused efforts.
Phase 4: Diffused efforts undermine the very clarity that led to our success in the first place.

Curiously, and overstating the point in order to make it, success is a catalyst for failure.