Most people believe success creates separation. They believe that once they reach a certain level, they have built enough distance between themselves and everyone else that their position is secure. That belief is very comforting. It’s not only wrong, but it is, as Nick Saban says, “Rat Poison.

Success does not make you better. It removes the pressure that once forced you to improve. Early in a career or a relationship, challenge is unavoidable. The environment demands it. You are either getting better or you are getting exposed, and the consequences show up quickly enough that you cannot ignore them. That pressure to climb to the top sharpens your focus. It forces you to have greater attention to detail. It creates urgency around the way you prepare because there is no safety net to fall back on.

Once success arrives, you think the world changes. Your status is secured. The results are in the books or in the trophy case. The urgency that once drove you is no longer being applied. At that point, everything becomes a choice. And most people are not nearly as disciplined in their choices as they were in their drive to success. They begin to rely on what has already worked instead of continuing to set the edge in the profession. They protect their position instead of challenging themselves to climb higher.

That is where things begin to fall apart.