If you’ve ever found yourself wondering how social media stars or reality TV personalities rake in millions while you’re clocking in and grinding every day, you’re not alone.
In a YouTube video, content creator, advisor, and investor Vincent Chan breaks down exactly why it often feels like less-qualified people end up making more money.
1. They Take Action — Fast
According to Chan, people who know less about a subject often overestimate their abilities.
This is known as the Dunning-Kruger effect. Because of this misplaced confidence, they’re more likely to just start, whether it’s launching a business or creating content.
“The irony is that the more quote-unquote dumb someone is, the more they think they can succeed in what they do,” Chan said.
Meanwhile, smarter people tend to overanalyze. They research endlessly, compare strategies, and often never take the first step.
Chan calls it “analysis paralysis,” where thinking too much prevents you from doing anything at all.
2. They Underestimate Risk
Smarter individuals often overthink risk. Chan said he saw this firsthand in his early finance career.
Many of his Ivy League-educated coworkers talked for months about quitting to start their own businesses, but never actually did.
Research backs this up. Studies show that people with higher cognitive scores take fewer risks when real money is involved. They stick to the safe path, even when taking a calculated risk could pay off.
“You’re not going to die. You’re not going to get eaten by a lion,” Chan joked, comparing modern risk-aversion to ancient survival instincts.
3. They’re Not Afraid to Look Stupid
Growing up labeled “the smart kid” can backfire. Chan explained that when your identity is tied to always being right, failure feels threatening.
So, you avoid challenges that might make you look bad.
On the flip side, people who weren’t labeled as high-achievers growing up often have nothing to prove, and everything to gain.
“You technically have less to prove and less to lose, so it’s all upside from here,” he said.
What You Can Do About It
Chan offers a few takeaways for anyone who wants to break the cycle:
Aim for B+ work: Stop waiting for the perfect moment or plan. “Perfection is just another fancy word for procrastination,” Chan said.
Play to your strengths: You don’t have to be an entrepreneur. Find what you’re better at than most people and double down.
Choose the pain that moves you forward: Chan suggests visualizing your future and asking, “Which pain would hurt the most, and I realized that the pain of staying where I was and not doing anything, that pain was far greater for me than if I forced myself to get out of my comfort zone.”
At the end of the day, success often comes down to momentum. Those who act, even imperfectly, usually get ahead.
“Each imperfect action that you take teaches you something that you couldn’t have learned otherwise,” Chan said.
And that lesson might just be worth more than a perfect GPA. In today’s world, taking imperfect action can open more doors than waiting until you feel ready.