Why Do People Stop Trying After Making It Big?

There are thousands of people who would kill for the opportunity to play a professional sport or to be a famous actor. However, the reality is the people who have made it big are taking it for granted. They go out partying 24/7, ruining all the hard work they once put in. You spend your whole life sacrificing different things to garner the success you have only dreamed of; why would you throw all of that away just for a few nights of partying?

You can achieve minimal success just by coasting on your laurels. Sure anyone can be good at something, but it takes an incredible amount of focus, determination and effort to achieve greatness. People who seek to achieve significance work more hours than the average person. They do not look toward the weekend and vacation; they relish in the present and try to make the most of every opportunity. They do not wait for these opportunities; they go out and create them.

Pro-activity is what constantly motivates these people. You do not see them sprawled across the headlines for disorderly conduct or DUIs. We see celebrities who have become complacent with their success and instead of focusing on taking things to the next level, they f*ck around and party on a constant basis.

You would think after achieving such immense success at an early age, Rihanna would be able to keep it somewhat mellow and appreciate her success. Instead she spends her free time Instagramming her constant smoking sessions while remaining half naked. How do you expect people to respect you if this is the manner in which you present yourself?

How can you take advantage of every opportunity if you are always partying and never sober? You can’t. You will miss a ton if your mental state is not focused on the task at hand. Achieving a goal means grabbing hold of these opportunities before they are out of your reach. You have to monitor your progress to make sure you are making all of the right moves, how can you do that if you are blacked out?

If you think you are going to accomplish success by working 9-5, you need to get a reality check. The clock never stops for the successful person; every hour creates more and more prospects. You cannot go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing, it was here first.

There are people out there who were born into the world of success, like Prince Harry, only to make a mockery of himself. We are all familiar with his naked, wild weekend in Vegas a few months ago. I am pretty sure part of being raised in royalty is learning the art of discretion, something he has failed to employ. In addition to his crazy weekend, last summer nude pictures were leaked of him all over the Internet.

There is the right type of success and the wrong type of success. Farrah Abraham, it’s bad enough you are a teen mother, but now you are a full-fledged porn star. How do you think your child is going to feel when she grows up? Wouldn’t you want to serve as a positive role model for your child? It is one thing for your ex to release a sex tape, but it is quite another for you to go out and seek out a professional for the job.

When you achieve success, one of the more important aspects is the ability to remain humble. There is nothing more irritating than having someone else’s accomplishments shoved in your face without prompting. We get it, you are a celebrity, but the entitlement you feel as a person can be revolting at times.

Reese Witherspoon, we get it, you’re a world-renowned actress, but have you even done anything remotely engaging since "Walk The Line"? You made the poor decision to get in a car with someone who was drinking and driving. Screaming “Don’t you know who I am?" at a police officer will only piss him off, not pardon you from a ticket that you more than deserve.

Angelina Jolie has recently more than proved to us the right way to use celebrity status. She has recognized the effect and impact that her actions can have on those that look to her. After receiving news that she had an 87% of eventually developing breast cancer, she took preemptive measures by undergoing a double mastectomy. She had her fun in her youth, but when she became responsible for a family, she knew it was time to adjust her lifestyle.

Success can bring out the best and the worst in people. Unfortunately as time goes on, the latter occurs much more often.