Instead, I felt like I was suffocating.
My calendar was packed with the same calls. The same presentations. The same fucking PowerPoint slides I'd been delivering for two years straight.
Every Monday felt identical to the last. Every client wanted the exact same "proven SEO methodology" that built my reputation.
I had built the perfect business machine.
And the machine had made me its prisoner.
The Moment I Realized Success Was Killing Me
The breaking point came during a client call with a Berlin startup.
I was mid-presentation, clicking through slide 47 of my standard SEO audit, when something inside me snapped.
"You know what?" I said, closing my laptop without warning. "I have no idea if SEO is even the right approach for you."
The founder looked confused. My business partner Marcus, sitting across from me, looked terrified.
"But... you're the SEO expert," the founder said. "That's why we called you."
"Here's what I don't know about your situation," I continued, my heart racing. "I don't understand how your customers actually make decisions. I don't know if they even use Google the way my other clients do. I don't know if spending €35K on my standard approach is the smartest move for your business."
I expected him to hang up.
Instead, he leaned forward.
"Finally," he said. "Someone honest about what they don't know."
That call changed everything. Not just because we closed €35K that day.
But because I remembered what curiosity felt like.
The Success Trap Nobody Talks About
That night, I called my mentor and told him what happened.
"Jan," he said, "you just learned something most entrepreneurs never figure out: Success isn't something you own. You rent it. And the rent is due every single day."
It hit me like a punch to the gut.
Success isn't something you own. You rent it. And the rent is due every single day.
I had been so focused on maintaining my success that I'd stopped doing the things that made me successful in the first place.
I'd stopped being curious. I'd stopped experimenting. I'd stopped taking risks.
I was just repeating the same formula, over and over, like a robot executing code.
The Three Stages of Success Prison
Over the next few months, I realized most successful entrepreneurs go through the same three stages:
Stage 1: The Breakthrough You find something that works. Clients love it. Money flows. You feel like you've cracked the code.
Stage 2: The System You systematize what works. Templates, processes, proven methodologies. Efficiency becomes everything.
Stage 3: The Prison You become trapped by your own success. The market expects you to be the same person who achieved the breakthrough. Any deviation feels dangerous.
I was deep in Stage 3.
The Anti-Expert Revelation
That Berlin startup taught me something profound: The market wasn't hiring me for my expertise anymore.
They were hiring me for my willingness to admit what I didn't know.
Every other consultant projected confidence about situations they didn't understand.
I was the first one honest enough to say "I don't know... yet."
And that honesty made them trust me more than any case study ever could.
The Curiosity Comeback
Over the next three months, I completely rebuilt my approach around one principle:
Rent curiosity daily.
Instead of selling proven methodologies, I sold the promise to learn alongside my clients.
Instead of being the expert with all the answers, I became the guide with better questions.
Instead of maintaining my success, I started earning it fresh every day.
The results:
- Close rate jumped from 60% to 90%
- Average deal size increased 40%
- Client satisfaction hit all-time highs
- I actually looked forward to work again
But the most important result?
I stopped feeling like a prisoner of my own success.
The Daily Success Rent
Here's what I learned about paying that daily rent:
Every morning, ask yourself:
- What am I curious about today?
- What assumptions am I making that I should question?
- How can I approach this differently than I did yesterday?
Every client interaction, lead with:
- "Here's what I don't understand about your situation..."
- "What am I missing that you think is important?"
- "How is your situation different from what I've seen before?"
Every project, commit to:
- Learning something new
- Questioning your standard approach
- Being wrong about at least one assumption
The Choice That Defines Your Future
Success wants to make you comfortable. It wants you to repeat what worked yesterday.
But the rent on success is paid in curiosity, not comfort.
Every day you choose comfort over curiosity, you move closer to becoming a prisoner of your own achievements.
Every client you process through your "proven system" instead of approaching with fresh eyes, you make your cage a little smaller.
The question isn't whether you're successful.
The question is: Are you still earning it?
Jan
PS: If you're feeling trapped by your own success and ready to start paying the daily rent with curiosity instead of comfort, reply with "RENT" and I'll send you the exact questions I ask myself every morning to stay free. Warning: It requires giving up the illusion of having it all figured out.
