A strange thing happens when you stop lying to yourself:
Life gets easier.
Not because things get easier, but because you do.
Here are 9 truths that most people avoidâbut the moment you face them, your work gets smarter, your health gets sharper, and your relationships get deeper.
Letâs get uncomfortable (in the best way possible).
1. You are not special.
I used to think I was the exception.
That I didnât need to follow the same rules. That I was âtoo talentedâ for structure. That people would just âget it.â
But when I looked around, the people succeeding weren't waiting to be discovered.
They were doing three things:
Following boring systems that worked.
Asking better questions, not proving how smart they were.
Showing up daily, not occasionally âcrushing it.â
Once I let go of being special, I started making progress.
2. Nobody owes you anything.
Entitlement is quiet. It hides behind frustration.
âWhy didnât I get promoted?â âWhy donât they recognize my work?â âWhy didnât they text me back?â
Hereâs what helped me reset:
Show your work. Visibility beats talent.
Ask clearly. Donât wait to be noticed.
Give first. Thatâs how you build trust and leverage.
The minute you drop the scorecard, you gain power.
3. Failure is not just possibleâitâs the default.
Every successful person I know has failed more than most people try.
Most engineers donât get hired for their first side projectâitâs usually their fifth.
Most creators donât go viral on post #1âit happens on #57.
Most good relationships donât start perfectlyâtheyâre built through conflict and repair.
Failure isnât the opposite of success. Itâs the cost of entry.
The trick? Fail on purpose, small and often.
You've just read the first 3 of 9 uncomfortable truths that make life better.
If you're a paid subscriber, keep reading to unlock the rest:
How to stop letting your emotions sabotage your goals
How to make better use of your time without burnout
How to stop caring what others thinkâand build deeper connections
And how to defeat the only real enemy youâll ever face: yourself
Paid members, scroll down.
Free readers, upgrade now to get the full playbookâand 100+ other career tools in the Strategy Library.
4. Your feelings donât always matter.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Smarter Engineers đĄ to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.


