There is a powerful truth often hidden in plain sight: most achievements, no matter how impressive, were made by people not so different from you. When you see someone else succeed—whether they’ve built a business, mastered a skill, or overcome adversity—it’s easy to imagine they had some special advantage. Sometimes they did. But far more often, what they had was persistence, discipline, and a willingness to begin.

The mindset behind “If someone else can do it, so can you” is rooted in recognizing shared human capability. Your potential isn’t fixed. It grows through action, learning, and struggle. That doesn’t mean every dream is realistic for everyone. Not everyone can become an Olympic athlete or a concert pianist, especially if starting late in life. But within the realm of reason, you’re capable of far more than you think.

Seeing Possibility Instead of Limitation

When others achieve something, you have two choices. You can say, “That’s just not me,” or you can say, “That could be me, if I’m willing to work for it.” The difference lies not in talent, but in belief. The former mindset closes doors. The latter opens them.

Yes, some people have head starts. Natural talent, resources, or early exposure all help. But those advantages don’t guarantee success. Many talented people fail to follow through. Many late starters surpass early prodigies because they stayed consistent while others coasted.

Reasonable Effort, Realistic Outcomes

The phrase “within reason” is key. You might not replicate someone’s journey exactly, but you can emulate their principles. If someone built a business from scratch, you may not reach their scale, but you can still build something valuable. If someone got fit after years of neglect, you can too, even if your result doesn’t match theirs perfectly. The comparison should inspire, not trap.

Understanding your own constraints—age, time, money, health—isn’t defeatist. It’s honest. Work with what you have. Use the examples of others as blueprints, not as scorecards.

Reverse Engineering Success

Rather than seeing success as magical, break it down. Ask what steps were taken, what habits were formed, what risks were endured. Most achievements are the sum of small efforts repeated over time.

Did someone learn a language? They probably studied daily, made lots of mistakes, and pushed through plateaus. Did someone quit drinking? They built a new identity, found support, and faced temptations without giving in. The outcomes were earned, not handed over.

You can do the same.

A Matter of Momentum

Your brain is built to learn. Your body can adapt. And your environment, while sometimes rigid, is more flexible than it seems. When you take that first uncomfortable step, momentum builds. You no longer have to guess whether you can do something. You prove it, one action at a time.

Someone else did it. You saw it happen. That’s evidence that it can be done. And if it can be done, it can be pursued—with your own version, at your own pace, in your own context.

That is both a challenge and a promise.