The Success Formula:
How T + D + WHBD + A = Success</span
Success Isn’t Luck—It’s Math
People love to romanticize success. They’ll say it’s luck. They’ll say it’s “being in the right place at the right time.” They’ll say it’s genetics, charisma, or some mystical alignment of stars. But let me be clear: success is not an accident.
Success is a formula. A repeatable process. A math equation you can plug yourself into and predictably create outcomes.
And I know because I’ve lived it.
I didn’t start as a millionaire motivational hypnotist, keynote speaker, or real estate powerhouse. I started as a casino dealer in Las Vegas—shuffling cards, hustling tips, trying to pay my bills. Over two decades later, I’ve closed over 1,000 real estate deals, built businesses, and transformed not just my life, but the lives of people I’ve coached, hypnotized, and spoken to across the country.
Along the way, I discovered what I now call The Success Formula:
T + D + WHBD + A = Success
- T = Thoughts
- D = Decisions
- WHBD = White Hot Burning Desire
- A = Action
When you put these four elements together, you create unstoppable forward momentum. The formula works if you work it—no exceptions.
T = Thoughts: The Foundation
It all begins with your thoughts.
Your mind is not just a container of random ideas. It’s the architect of your reality. Thoughts aren’t harmless. They’re instructions—codes you send into your subconscious, which then programs your behavior.
Think of it this way: your thoughts are the GPS coordinates of your life. If you’re constantly thinking, “I’m not good enough, I’ll never make it, people like me don’t succeed,” then you’re typing in the wrong destination. You’ll never arrive where you want to go, because you’ve programmed yourself for failure before the journey even begins.
When I was shuffling cards in Vegas, I could have thought: “This is my life. This is all I’ll ever be.” Instead, I asked myself a better thought: “What if this is just my training ground for something bigger?”
That thought changed my trajectory.
Shift your thoughts, and you shift your destiny.
D = Decisions: The Fork in the Road
But thoughts alone don’t move mountains. Decisions do.
Every day, you’re standing at a fork in the road. Do you go left, or do you go right? Do you say yes, or do you say no? Do you stay in bed, or do you get up and grind?
Your decisions reveal whether your thoughts are serious—or just daydreams.
I remember when I had the opportunity to make my first real estate investment. I didn’t have a safety net. I didn’t have wealthy parents. I didn’t even have much money. But I had a decision: play it safe, or take the risk.
That one decision changed my life forever. It set me on a path to doing over 1,000 deals and building financial freedom.
Here’s the truth: success doesn’t come from avoiding risk. It comes from making decisions that align with your vision, even when fear is screaming in your ear.
WHBD = White Hot Burning Desire: The Fire
Consider a time in your own life when something didn’t go according to plan. Perhaps you missed out on an opportunity you were counting on, or a project collapsed despite your best efforts. In the moment, it felt like the end. But looking back now, can you see how it redirected you? How it built character, gave you clarity, or opened doors you never expected?
Obstacles often look like walls, but with perspective, they reveal themselves to be detours toward a better path.
Closing Note
This is the foundation of everything I teach. The formula is not just a slogan—it’s the blueprint for your future.
So ask yourself right now:
What thoughts are you thinking?
What decisions are you making?
How strong is your desire?
What action will you take today?
Because your success isn’t waiting. It’s already written in the formula.
And the only question left is: will you solve for it?
Author’s Note: Shawn Greeves is a motivational hypnotist, financier, and the creator of “The Invisible Advantage” and “The Success Formula.” He speaks to audiences worldwide on peak performance, mindset, and building the future you deserve.
