Success creates comfort, which fosters complacency. This isn't a single event but a series of small, unnoticeable compromises—skipping fundamentals or taking shortcuts—that accumulate over time until a sudden, catastrophic failure occurs, a phenomenon described by Ernest Hemingway as happening "gradually and then suddenly."
True champions, like Tom Brady or Kobe Bryant, don't rest on past achievements. They understand that yesterday's wins don't guarantee today's success. Their mindset is not "I made it," but rather "I start over every day," constantly returning to the fundamental, often boring, work that built their success in the first place.
The comfort derived from success is deceptive. It operates like a thief that methodically steals your most valuable assets—your competitive edge, urgency, and discipline—while convincing you that you are still in command. This quiet erosion of essential habits is what makes achieving success so dangerous.