We Won’t All "Make It"And That’s Fine

I don’t like baseless motivation.

The kind that says “trust me, we’ll all make it one day.”
We won’t. And we all know it. But people say it anyway because it sounds nice.

It’s like when your broke friend says “next week things will turn around.” You both know that “next week” is just emotional support.

I like motivation that comes with truth. The kind that doesn’t treat hope like crack. The kind that says, “yeah, the system is rigged, but here’s how to live through it anyway.” Because not everyone will “make it,” at least not in the millionaire, mansion, private jet sense.

Most people will live right in the middle. That’s not failure. That’s math.

The Bell Curve Nobody Likes To Mention

For every success story you hear, there are hundreds of people who worked just as hard and didn’t “make it.”

That’s not because they were lazy or lacked vision. It’s because life doesn’t distribute success evenly.

The truth is, most of us are in the middle of the bell curve. That’s where the teachers, nurses, accountants, small business owners, and workers live. The ones who pay bills, raise families, and keep the world functioning.

They’re not trending. They’re not on magazine covers. But without them, society collapses in a week.

And yet we’ve been trained to see that life as average. As if living steadily, peacefully, and responsibly is some kind of disappointment.

The middle isn’t mediocrity. It’s where life actually happens.

Why Empty Motivation Sells

Because people love being lied to in a hopeful tone.

Because it’s easier to sell “never give up” than to explain how probability works.

Because no one wants to admit that even hard work sometimes doesn’t pay off, and that’s not a moral failure, it’s just bad timing or bad luck.

Baseless motivation is like sugar. It feels good in the moment, then crashes you later.

And it keeps you addicted. You start chasing the high of “maybe I’m next” instead of building a life that’s already enough.

The Tale Of Two Hustlers

Tendai and Tapiwa both started their grind around the same time.

Tendai is the motivational type. Wakes up at 4 AM, drinks black coffee, tweets “rise and grind.” His idea of success is being a walking TED Talk.

Tapiwa? He wakes up when his body says “enough.” Runs a car wash. Does small tech gigs. Eats when he’s hungry, laughs when he can, and minds his business.

Tendai used to mock him. “Bro, you lack ambition.”

Five years later, Tendai has 73 plays on his podcast, mostly from cousins. Tapiwa’s business grew quietly. He’s not rich, but he’s consistent. He pays his bills. He helps his mom. He sleeps well.

So who really made it?

Tendai is still chasing the abstract idea of success. Tapiwa built something small that fits his life. He’s not performing. He’s living.

Most of us are Tapiwa. And that’s perfectly fine.

Redefining What “Making It” Means

If making it means yachts and brand deals, then 99.9 percent of people have already failed.

So change the meaning.

Maybe for you, making it is not panicking about rent. Or not checking your bank balance before buying bread. Maybe it’s being able to rest without guilt. Maybe it’s being content enough to enjoy small things.

That’s success too.

We’ve glorified “extraordinary” for so long that peace feels like giving up. But there’s nothing small about being at peace.

You know what’s truly exhausting? Chasing “greatness” that doesn’t even make you happy when you catch it.

The Power Of Good Enough

There’s peace in being good enough. Not perfect. Not exceptional. Just functional.

Your car works. You pay your bills. You have food in your fridge and people who care about you. That’s not failure. That’s stability.

Most of the best people you know are not extraordinary. They’re steady. The kind of people who quietly make life possible. The ones who show up, who fix things, who listen, who work.

They’re not “blowing up.” They’re holding things together. And that matters more.

The Anti-Guru Guide

Forget the morning routines of billionaires. Try this instead:

1. Do a Joy Audit.
   Write down what actually makes you happy. Not what looks good online. The things that give you peace. Do more of that.
2. Embrace Side Quests.
   Your life doesn’t need to be a straight path to a massive goal. Do small things that make you curious. Try. Fail. Laugh. Move on.
3. Curate What You See.
   Mute people who make you feel like you’re losing. Unfollow noise. Follow real humans.
4. Find Your People.
   Hang around people who are content. People who aren’t constantly performing success.
5. Build Systems That Work.
   Don’t rely on miracles. Build something that keeps you okay even when life doesn’t “blow up.”

Social Media Is A Hallucination

Social media makes everyone feel like they’re late to life. You see someone younger than you with a car, a house, perfect skin, and you start thinking you’ve failed.

But half of them are pretending. The other half are miserable.

Someone posting “booked and busy” is probably begging a client to pay. Someone posting “soft life” is just really good at framing pictures around chaos.

Don’t compare your behind-the-scenes to someone’s highlight reel. You’re doing better than you think.

A Toast To The Middle

Here’s to the ones who didn’t “blow.”

The ones who pay their bills. The ones who show up. The ones who keep their word. The ones who laugh with their friends. The ones who stay kind even when it’s hard.

Here’s to the nurses, teachers, hustlers, parents, small business owners, and quiet fighters. The ones who keep everything running while everyone else is chasing visibility.

Here’s to the middle.

It’s not glamorous, but it’s real. It’s warm here. The kettle works. The Wi-Fi mostly behaves. The peace is underrated.

We won’t all make it.
But some of us will make it enough.

And that’s more than okay. That’s everything.