Alright y’all… unlock your potential — that phrase has been living rent-free in my head since like 2019 and I’m still not sure I’ve actually done it properly.I’m sitting here in my kinda dark apartment in the US, it’s mid-January 2026, there’s half a cold brew sweating on my desk, my dog is aggressively snoring two feet away, and I’m staring at this blinking cursor thinking… “man I really should have my life more together by now.” But anyway, here we are.
Here are the success strategies that have actually moved the needle for me (and the ones that sounded good on paper but mostly just made me feel worse).
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1. Stop Chasing “Morning Routine Perfection” (Seriously)
I used to wake up at 4:47 a.m. because some YouTuber said that was the magic hour. I’d meditate, journal, Unlock Your Potential cold plunge my soul, drink lemon water with cayenne, do yoga… and then be completely fried by 10 a.m. and scroll TikTok until lunch.
Now my morning “routine” is:
- Snooze twice (guilty pleasure)
- Make coffee like my life depends on it
- Write down 1–3 things I actually care about today (usually one is “don’t ghost my own goals again”)
That’s it. And weirdly… my days started feeling more productive once I stopped trying to be a productivity Instagram robot.
If you want some actual research that made me feel better about this → check out this short piece from Harvard Business Review about why rigid morning routines can backfire.
Here are a few visuals that capture the chaotic glory of the “ambitious morning vs. reality” journey:
Here’s a quick pic of what my desk actually looks like most mornings (no filter, send help):
I’ll add a real messy-desk vibe picture in a second so you can see I’m not lying lol.
2. The “2-Minute Cringe Rule” Changed My Life
Biggest success strategy I accidentally discovered: Unlock Your Potential if something scares me but would probably move me forward, I give myself exactly 120 seconds to start before my brain can talk me out of it.
Examples from the last 3 months:
- Sending that awkward “hey I’d love to work together” DM → sent in the 2 minutes, got the collab
- Posting the vulnerable LinkedIn post about failing at a launch → 2 minutes of sweating, hit post, actually got really kind responses
- Finally asking for a raise → 2 minutes of internal screaming, sent the email, got 70% of what I asked for (still a win)
The moment I feel the cringe rising, I literally count 120… and move. Works stupidly well.
3. Track Wins, Not Just Goals (I Was Doing It Backwards)
I used to have a giant Notion board full of aspirational goals. “Hit 6-figures”, “10k email list”, “learn Portuguese”, etc. It was pretty, and it stressed me out constantly.
Now I have a “Wins Jar” (yes I’m that person now). Every time something good happens — even tiny — I write it down and throw it in a literal mason jar.
Examples from the last week in the jar:
- Finally answered all my overdue emails (felt like winning an Oscar)
- Client said “you really get me” (heart eyes)
- Didn’t doomscroll after 9 p.m. three nights in a row (personal best)
Looking at the jar when I feel like a failure is stupidly powerful. Highly recommend.
Here’s a quick visual vibe of what that jar looks like on my shelf right now:
4. Quit One Thing Ruthlessly Every Quarter
This is the hardest success strategy for me. I love starting things. I hate quitting.
But every January, April, July, October I force myself to quit at least one thing that’s draining me.
This quarter I quit:
- Trying to be active on every social platform (Instagram got the axe, I kept X and TikTok)
- Saying yes to every podcast invite (I was on like 3 a week, dying inside)
Energy came rushing back like I can’t even explain.
Wrapping this chaotic post up…
Look — I don’t have it all figured out. I’m literally writing this while my smoke detector is chirping because the battery is dying and I keep forgetting to buy 9-volts. True story.
But these success strategies — the messy, human, slightly embarrassing ones — have actually helped me move forward more than any 12-step perfect system ever did.
