When Success Gets Dismissed
May 14th, 2026 by Diane Conklin under Business - General, Business Strategy. No Comments.
When UCLA’s Megan Grant hit her 38th home run of the season this past weekend, she did more than send a softball over the fence. She etched her name into NCAA history, breaking a 31-year-old Division 1 single-season record.
And almost immediately, some people began to minimize the achievement.
She plays in the Big 10 conference, and some felt that if she played in the Southeastern Conference, it would have been more impressive. Some even thought it wouldn’t have happened at all.
In other words, her accomplishment was somehow less legitimate because of the environment in which it happened.
If you’ve built a successful business, that response should sound very familiar.
No matter what you accomplish, there will always be someone ready with an explanation for why it “doesn’t really count.”
- “Of course she’s successful…she has a big list.”
- “He got lucky with timing.”
- “Their market is easier.”
- “She already had connections.”
- “They had more capital.”
- “That strategy won’t work in my industry.”
The details change, but the message is the same. Instead of studying what it took to achieve the result, people search for reasons the result should be discounted.
This is one of the most destructive habits in business.
When you explain away someone else’s success, you give yourself permission to avoid doing the work required to create your own.
Megan Grant did not hit 38 home runs by accident.
Oh, and it’s important to note…she did it while also being part of UCLA’s national championship women’s basketball team, making her accomplishment even more extraordinary.
The record is hers.
Business works the same way.
Customers don’t buy because your industry is easy. They buy because you solved a problem and communicated value.
Revenue doesn’t appear because conditions were perfect. It appears because you executed consistently.
There are two ways to respond when someone achieves something remarkable.
The first is to dismiss it.
You tell yourself:
- They had advantages.
- Their circumstances were different.
- Their success isn’t relevant to you.
This response protects your ego but keeps you stuck.
Or…you can study it.
You ask:
- What did they do consistently?
- What standards did they maintain?
- What can I apply to my own business?
This response fuels growth.
Champions and successful entrepreneurs choose the second response.
The market doesn’t care about your explanations.
The market rewards one thing – and one thing only – results.
Just as the scoreboard counts every run, the marketplace counts every sale, every client served, and every promise fulfilled.
Your customers are not buying your excuses.
They are buying outcomes.
Instead of criticizing others for succeeding in a different environment, ask better questions.
Megan Grant’s record is not a reason to debate conference strength.
It is a case study in what is possible when exceptional talent meets extraordinary discipline.
In business, the same principle applies.
Every successful entrepreneur leaves behind clues.
Your job is not to diminish them.
Your job is to learn from them.
Many business owners spend too much time evaluating whether conditions are ideal.
- Is the economy right?
- Is my niche too competitive?
- Do I have enough experience?
- Is my market harder than theirs?
Those questions are often disguised forms of procrastination.
The better question is:
Am I committed enough to do the work?
Because commitment beats conditions more often than people realize.
When you see someone break a record, build a thriving company, or achieve extraordinary results, resist the urge to explain it away.
Instead, respect the accomplishment.
Study the process.
Apply the lessons.
And then get back to work.
Your success will not come from proving someone else had it easier.
It will come from raising your standards, strengthening your discipline, and executing with consistency.
Megan Grant hit 38 home runs this season.
Some people saw an opportunity to debate whether the conference made it easier.
Winners see something different.
They see what happens when preparation, focus, and determination and hard work come together over time.
In business, as in sports, the people who win are not the ones with the best excuses.
They are the ones who produce results.
And results, ultimately, speak louder than opinions.
To Your Success –
