To be successful in business — you need to keep this simple phrase front and center: "Never let a person who is more successful than you work harder than you." In other words, trouble tends to strike when people get comfortable. Many people become so comfortable with what they already have that they feel no need to extend effort any further. For example:

Tom is a big fan of Susan. Susan makes $10,000 a month.
Tom only makes $1000 per month.
Tom wishes he could be like Susan and studies her lifestyle but takes things very slowly.
Susan however, even though she makes $10,000 a month, she still runs her multiple sources of income, grinds her ass off. Works stupidly hard to make sure her money keeps growing.

You should never let a person who is more successful than you work harder than you. If you ever want your position in life to change, you need to work harder than the person who you admire. It's that simple.

BTW - working harder also encompasses working smarter. Dull, high-effort work rarely delivers results — you need to add smarts, insight, and focus to the equation.

Talk to ANY successful businessperson or high-level executive and you usually find someone that consistently knocks it out of the park every day. They come to work early, are prepared for every meeting, they engage high-level contacts, and they tend to hone their focus on high-potential activities. They don't ever goof off.

Once you get comfortable, you take your eye slightly off the prize. You come to work a bit later, you wing meetings, you neglect to connect with key people, and you work on mundane tasks. It's a disaster waiting to happen.

Who will you be today?