The achievement that changed nothing

You worked for it. Sacrificed for it. Finally got it.

The promotion. The raise. The sales win. The house in the right neighborhood.

And for about two weeks, it felt good. Then it wore off.

You thought getting there would change everything. That the anxiety would disappear. That you'd finally feel satisfied. Fulfilled. Like you made it.

But here you are. Same restlessness. Same questions. "Is this it?"

This is called the Arrival Fallacy. The belief that achieving a goal will bring lasting happiness and fulfillment.

It won't. It makes the thing we were so convinced we wanted, suddenly seem not good enough. Now you have to chase the next thing that will “fulfill” you. And the race continues.

This is why Billy Donovan, after winning back-to-back NCAA Championships at Florida, said that he was depressed. He noted, “It doesn't change your life one bit, other than someone may write next to your name, 'national champion coach.' Outside of that, it does not change your life.”

Because the problem isn't what you haven't achieved. It's that you've been chasing the wrong things. It’s that you believed something out there would fill the longing inside.

You've been aiming at targets other people set for you. Climbing ladders leaning against the wrong walls. Checking boxes that aren’t bad but don't actually matter.

And now you're standing at the top, successful on paper, yet filled with uncertainty and anxiousness and unsettled on the inside.

Here's what nobody tells you: Achievement without purpose is just accumulation. And accumulation never satisfies. Idols (titles, money, wins, accomplishments) will always let you down.

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have goals and visions you are pursuing. Better should always be our goal. But we have to realize what those goals will and won’t do.

📌 QUOTE OF THE WEEK “Don’t aim at success. The more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one’s personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself.” - Viktor Frankl

🧠 INSIGHT: Success isn't the problem. Drifting toward someone else's definition of success is.

Most men spend their 20s and 30s climbing. Pursuing what looks impressive. What their parents wanted. What their friends respect. What society values.

Then they arrive and realize: this isn't what I actually wanted.

The fix isn't getting more. It's getting clear on what actually matters to you. Your values. Your purpose. The person you want to become.

Stop optimizing for achievements that don't align with who you want to be.

NO DRIFT CHALLENGE

This week: Write down your last three major "wins" (promotion, purchase, achievement). Then answer honestly: Did any of them create lasting fulfillment?

If the answer is no, you're chasing the wrong things.

Now write down what you actually value. Not what sounds good. What's true. Family? Health? Impact? Freedom? Purpose?

Look at how you spent yesterday. Does it align?

If not, you're still drifting. And the next achievement won't fix it either.

The goal isn't to stop achieving. It's to achieve things that actually matter.

Reply and tell me what you realize. Or post it on Instagram and tag @no.drift.

CLOSING THOUGHT

Fulfillment isn’t about what you accomplish. It’s about being at peace with who you are becoming along the way.

For you,
Kevin

Thanks for reading this. Share it with anybody you think would find it useful. And as a reminder, NO DRIFT is not mine it is ours. I want to know what you think, what you want to hear about, what you are learning. All feedback is welcomed.