Want Success? Shut Up and Get to Work

I will never forget this quote from my dad:?

“The ones that gob off to you are never going to hit you.?It’s the ones that don’t say anything, they're the ones to be afraid of”.

Growing up, I thought he was referring to schoolyard bullies.?

But years later, when I started Hoxton, that phrase took on a whole new meaning.

Because wherever you go in life, the people who talk endlessly about what they’re going to do rarely get anything done.

The ones who keep quiet and take action?

They’re the ones you need to watch.

And I didn’t want to be a person who was all talk. That has never been my style. It’s why I spent the better part of 6 years building Hoxton in silence. Quietly going about my business.

I didn’t shout about what we were doing on purpose.?

Because I wanted our results to do the talking for us.?

Now, we manage $2.5 billion in assets—and suddenly, people want to listen. So now we have started talking.

I genuinely believe that if we started boating and bragging about how amazing we were in the early days - it would have massively hindered our growth.

Because talking too much is proven to hurt progress:

Here are 3 research-backed reasons why talking about your success too soon kills your chances of actually achieving it—and what to do instead.

1?? The “Talking Trap” – Your Brain Thinks You’ve Already Won

Ever notice how just saying you’re going to do something makes you feel like you’ve made progress?

This is why New Year’s Resolutions are a load of bollocks.?

You sit down to write a list of things you’re going to achieve, feel a sense of accomplishment about how amazing your life is about to look, and then stuff it in a drawer never to be seen again.?

There’s no real intention behind the list - it’s just talk.?

And it’s why 90% of you reading this right now will have already given up on your new year’s goals.?

The problem is that our brains can’t tell the difference between talk and action.

Research from the Journal of Psychological Science found that when you talk about a goal, your brain releases dopamine—the same chemical that rewards you when you actually achieve something.

So every time you tell someone you’re launching a new business, scaling to 7 figures, or planning some big move—you get a little fake hit of achievement. A dose of BS to make yourself feel good.

And that reduces your drive to actually follow through.

What to do instead??

Keep your goals private.?

It’s tempting when you’re excited about a new venture to tell people about it.?

The intention is that you will do it.?

But when you realise that is hurting your chances of follow-through, think critically on who you want to share those goals with.?

Maybe just share them with people who will actually hold you accountable!

2?? The Intention-Action Gap

This psychological concept is fascinating because it reveals how much we lie to ourselves.?

→ You tell yourself you’re going to lose 5 kilos but don’t change what kind of food you’re buying at the store.?

→ You tell yourself you’re going to grow the business massively this year but don’t put time in your diary to make cold calls or prospect.?

→ You tell yourself you’re going to double the amount of followers you have on LinkedIn but you haven’t posted anything in the last 4 months.?

The problem isn’t that you’re being aspirational, it’s that being too aspirational without any actionable steps to get there always leads to failure.??

Behavioural science researchers call this the “Intention-Action Gap.”?

And their research suggests that we get stuck in that gap about 50% of the time…

So, how do you close it??

First, make your goals realistic and specific (instead of some grind-mindset crap like “I’m going to make serious moves this year.”)

Second, ask yourself daily:

“What did I ACTUALLY do today to move forward?”

From there, you can readjust your goals or your actions to get to where you want to go.?

Without doing these things, you’re just blowing smoke up your own…??

3?? Brian Tracy’s Rules for Success

I think about this quote from Brian Tracy a lot:??

“Successful people are action-oriented. Average people are talk-oriented.”

He’s absolutely right.?

It’s why most of the posts you read from people on LinkedIn are a bunch of BS.?

It’s why you love talking about goals with your peers but hate having to plan the follow-through.?

And it’s why Brian has spent his career writing over 80 books about efficiency, productivity and goal-setting. Because most people are awful at these things.

We’re humans. And we look for the path of least resistance.?

But now that you know the fatal mistakes you’re making, you can learn to do better.??

Here are 3 of my favourite tips from Brian Tracy to actually start achieving your goals (instead of just talking about them):?

1?? 80/20 Rule = 80% of results come from 20% of your effort.?

Identify the vital few tasks that yield the most significant results and do those the most. Like, researching new running shoes is not important. Going for a 10 minute run to start your fitness journey is.

2?? Surround yourself with positive people.?

Goal-setting alone is really hard. But having people around you reaching their goals is the ultimate motivation.?

3?? Never stop taking action.?

Even if it’s the wrong action, you learn from it and readjust. Taking no action is where you fail.?

The Takeaway: If You’re Really About It, PROVE IT.

When Warren Buffett started Berkshire Hathaway, he didn’t waste time telling everyone how big he’d become.

When Reed Hastings launched Netflix, he wasn’t tweeting about “the future of streaming.”

When Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook, he wasn’t walking around Harvard campus claiming he had a billion-dollar business idea.?

They just put their heads down and built.

And when they finally spoke, they had actual results to back it up.

So, if you want to be successful, focus on 4 words:

Less talk, more do.?

Because talking about success doesn’t create success.

And every hour you spend announcing your plans - or like my dad says, ‘gob off’ about them - is an hour you could have spent actually executing them.

And when you finally do have something to say?

You won’t need to shout.

People will already be listening.

Be honest—have you ever fallen into the trap of talking about a goal so much that you never actually did it? I'd love to hear your experience in the comments.