What if you already had everything you needed to succeed?

I don’t just mean that as a thought experiment. I seriously want you to consider that option.

Because here’s a truth I’ve realized in studying successful people over the past few years: they BELIEVE they have everything they need, even when they don’t.

And it always fascinated me because the number one excuse I’ve seen people give is, “I don’t know how. I don’t have the resources. I don’t have the right opportunity. I don’t have the right skills. I don’t have…”

Go back to the last time you said this sentence. Got it?

Cool. Now ask yourself, “Was that really true? Or could I have figured something out if I had tried?”

What’s the honest answer? Not the pretty or positive one, the honest one.

I’m pretty sure that honest answer is telling you, “It wasn’t true. It was just an excuse.”

The day you start accepting that answer, you crack the success puzzle.

The Real Success Cheat Code…

…has been mastered by Elon Musk.

Whether you like him or not, the truth is that he has achieved extraordinary success in his life. And that’s worth decoding and analyzing.

Because think about it: how does a kid from South Africa (with no special, inherited talents) build a successful company and sell it to become a multimillionaire at 28?

Not only that, but how does he work and learn fast enough to build SpaceX, one of the most successful space exploration companies in the world, that BEAT NASA to create the world’s first reusable rocket? (It can literally land like a helicopter!)

Bear in mind that he has no official degree in rocket science, and yet, he figured it out. He has no official diploma in automotive engineering, yet he’s the owner of one of the most famous electric car makers in the world: Tesla.

One look at Musk’s life is enough to know that, at least professionally, he has learned, improved, succeeded, and innovated in leaps, not steps. That’s a level very few people achieve.

The question is, how?

And the answer is just as unconventional as Elon Musk’s achievements: He was always radically honest with himself—especially about his limitations.

That’s the cheat code to success, the final piece that solves the success puzzle:

Radical Honesty

Elon Musk has never shied away from saying these three words, “I don’t know.”

The same goes for Steve Jobs, Sachin Tendulkar, Elton John, Oprah Winfrey, and all those people who have not just achieved the extraordinary but stayed (and improved there) for decades.

They were never ‘know-it-alls’. They didn’t think, “I know enough.” They didn’t go for the pretty, positive answers. They went for the honest ones—even when they were hard to digest.

Elon Musk had the vision to make reusable rockets, but he accepted his limitations. He had no idea about rocket science. He had not engineered something so complex before. And his knowledge of physics told him it wasn’t possible; rockets couldn’t land.

But he believed they could. He was determined to find a solution. And guess what he did?

He studied rocket science on his own, hired some of the best in this field, talked to them, built prototypes, and finally, he had a rocket that could land again.

It sounds so logical, right? But what if you and I were in his shoes?

Imagine being 30 years old with hundreds of millions in your bank account. The idea of reusable rockets engulfs you. But to execute it, the very first thing you must do is to literally study rocket science—something that would take half a decade at university, or a ton of obsession and discipline to do on your own.

Would you do it? Would you try to figure out a way? Or would say, “I don’t have the time. And anyway, I have more than enough money. Why risk it?”

Now that you know how successful SpaceX is, saying this seems like a mistake.

But are you sure you’re not making this mistake every time you say, “I don’t have…” in your life and for your goals?

Because the truth is, you probably are. And that’s why you feel stuck and confused.

The only way out is through radical honesty.

Radical Honesty in Practice.

It’s very simple.

The next time you think, “Oh! I know this won’t work.” Pause and say, “Is that true? Let me find out.”

The next time you say, “I don’t have xyz.” Ask yourself, ‘Is that true, or just an excuse?”

And the next time you find yourself dejected, ask yourself, “What did I do wrong? And how can I improve on it?”

The more conversations you have like this, the more radical honesty you build. You recognize and accept your limitations without judgment, and therefore, you’re able to do the right stuff that makes you learn, grow, and improve.

That’s all it takes to be extraordinary: start talking to yourself, and stop accepting your excuses and BS.

And the final piece of the success puzzle is in place.