Seeking Sageship: Beyond Leadership

Seeking Sageship: Beyond Leadership

The Factor That Causes Most People's Failure

That Is Made Worse With Every Decision They Make

Dr. Cody Dakota Wooten's avatar
Dr. Cody Dakota Wooten
Apr 17, 2026
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The Factor That Causes Most People’s Failure

That Is Made Worse With Every Decision They Make

Written by a human, for humans, always.


So many people want success in their lives.

We hear so many stories of success...

It seems to be so easy to obtain...

Even if what we see is a complete illusion.

Social media has created a strange relationship with our perception of success.

When you start to look for things like “how to be successful”...

You’ll start to see “examples” of success.

Social media posts.

Clips from different TV shows and podcasts.

Lots of marketing from people who will show you “how to be successful”.

Seeing this all the time plays on our perception through what is known as...

The “repetition bias” or the “illusory truth effect”.

When you begin to see something more often...

You begin to believe it to be true...

Even if it is an absolute fabrication and a lie.

That is where most “success” content falls.

What you do not see...

Is what happens in the background for most of these individuals...

Who are on the knife’s edge of failure...

Desperate to convince you of their success...

Repeating what they have heard like parrots...

From people who are equally desperate...

Or worse.

So so many people...

Are playing a game of appearances.

Trying to always say the “right” thing...

Appear the “right” way...

Pretend like “everything” is going well...

While the entire time...

They feel like their life is in shambles...

Like they are impostors...

And that everything is about to explode in their faces.

Then...

Often...

It does.

But the question that so many people have is why?

What causes so much failure?

One of the largest factors that most people do not take into account...

Is longevity.

In their resources...

In their productivity...

In their health.

See...

When we have become blinded by the lie that success is easy...

We begin to make decisions with the “expectation” that we will obtain success easily.

You can take working the 60+ hours because when you have that success...

You will be able to work 4-hour weeks.

You can take the incredible level of debt because when you have that success...

You will be able to afford anything that exists.

You can make choices that negatively impact your health now because when you have that success...

You’ll be able to pay to live forever.

Plus...

You “know”...

That your success “has” to be right around the corner...

Because that is how it works for everyone...

Right?

But the reality is that this is not even remotely close to how it works.

One of the major keys to success “is” longevity...

And each time you make a decision that negatively impacts your longevity...

A couple of things occur.

One...

You add to the stressors that you already have.

Getting to a level of success is stressful...

And when you add to it longer work hours...

A lack of life outside of that...

High levels of debt...

Income that never seems to be enough...

And declining health...

On top of all of the other stressors we have in life...

It begins to become unbearable.

But it gets worse...

Because the worse your stressors become...

The less effective you become.

That is a psychophysiological reality.

Most people are inching themselves closer and closer to uselessness...

Often without even realizing it.

We are seeing it come to an extreme with burnout...

Which over 80% of the workplace is currently in.

Based on the scientific research...

We drop to 5% or less of our productivity potential in burnout...

And yes...

We can...

And frequently do...

End up in negative productivity.

As you become less effective at everything you do...

It makes the pressure become more intense...

Sometimes severely more intense.

You feel like you have to put in more effort...

But you have nothing left to give...

You want a life...

But already are not living...

You feel like it all has to change around the next corner...

But you keep finding another corner...

You feel like you need to become more perfect...

But you end up making more and more mistakes that you know you shouldn’t make.

Then there is a point...

Where everything you have done...

Every choice you have made...

You are forced to face the consequences of.

For most people...

98% of people...

That moment is on their deathbed...

And while lying there...

Unable to do anything more...

It hits them...

They failed.

All of what they did along the way...

Led to this moment...

Regretting it all.

Each choice they made...

Cut away at their chances of success.

Each time they cut...

One project died...

One goal faded away...

One essential relationship was lost...

One life to live was wasted.

Consider your longevity.


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So, how do we ensure our longevity?

That is what we will look at next.

I have 7 areas to pay attention to.

Let’s Dive In…

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