The Achiever

“I've accomplished a lot... so why doesn't it feel like enough?”

The Achiever knows how to get things done. She's responsible, motivated and usually the person others count on when something needs to happen. She sets goals, solves problems and takes pride in doing things well.

Achievement itself isn't the problem. Accomplishing something you worked hard for can be incredibly satisfying.

It gets complicated when accomplishment quietly becomes the way you measure how you're doing as a person.

When the Finish Line Keeps Moving

Achievers are very good at looking ahead. You reach the goal, enjoy it for a minute and then start thinking about the next one. The business grew, but it could grow more. You lost the weight, but there's another five pounds. You finished the project, but you're already noticing what you could have done differently. I've caught myself doing this plenty of times.

 

There's nothing wrong with wanting another goal. But it's worth getting curious about why you want it and what you expect it to give you. Sometimes we aren't really chasing the accomplishment. We're chasing the feeling we think we'll finally have once we get there.

You Were Already Enough

This is where my thinking has changed a lot over the years. I don't believe achieving more makes us more worthy, just as accomplishing less doesn't make us less worthy. Your productivity, income, weight, title, awards and accomplishments are things about your life. They aren't measurements of your value. That doesn't mean you stop setting goals.

 

You can want to build a bigger business because it sounds fun. You can want to make more money because you'd like what that money allows you to do. You can work toward something difficult simply because you want to see if you can do it.

The difference is that the goal doesn't have to prove anything about you.

What Does Success Actually Mean to You?

Achievers can become very good at keeping score without realizing who's making the rules. More money. A bigger business. Another promotion. A nicer house. A certain number on the scale. Recognition from people we respect. Maybe you genuinely want those things. Great. But maybe some of them ended up on your list because somewhere along the way you decided that's what successful people are supposed to want. That's worth looking at.

 

You don't need to become less ambitious or force yourself to slow down. You may simply want to understand what's driving you before automatically moving the finish line again. You can accomplish something and enjoy it. You can decide you want another goal. You can also decide that what you have right now is pretty darn good.

 

None of those choices changes who you are or what you're worth.

A Question to Think About

If nobody was keeping score, what would success look like to you?