Why always striving harms your career and your health...

We all know that feeling: the fleeting high of crossing something off your to-do list, clearing your inbox, or hitting a long-awaited career milestone.

But how long does the satisfaction last? An hour? A day?

Before long, the next task emerges, the daily life admin tasks reappear, the calendar fills up again, and it feels like you can never manage to get all your ducks in a row.

In the lives of high-achieving professionals – especially those who feel a disconnect between success and fulfilment – the chase can become the problem.

This piece is about challenging one of the most pervasive (and exhausting) myths in modern work culture: the idea that happiness, contentment, or even peace will arrive once you’ve finished.

Finished the project.

Landed the dream role.

Fixed the LinkedIn profile.

Got the promotion.

Hit the sales or savings target.

Written the book.

Finally stopped hustling.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth: life doesn’t have a finish line.

And if we keep attaching our well-being to getting “there”, we risk never really arriving.

The Problem With “Done”

Much of my coaching work focuses on helping people reclaim their energy, their purpose, and their story. A common theme? Burnout is born from the belief that only when everything is finished can they rest, breathe, or feel worthy.

Psychologists like Jim Taylor remind us that this pursuit of closure – of being “done” – is biologically driven but psychologically unsatisfying.

In today’s work culture, there’s always another goalpost.

That promotion simply leads to more pressure.

That successful side hustle opens the door to new demands.

That supposed “dream job” comes with its own set of compromises.

It’s not that ambition is bad – it’s that our attachment to its endgame can quietly unravel our well-being.

Always On, Never Enough

There’s a name for the mental pressure that builds when we leave tasks unfinished: the Zeigarnik effect. When we leave something unfinished, it creates cognitive tension that makes rest nearly impossible. This tension is why we push ourselves late into the night, rush through tasks, or feel guilty for resting.

But being in a constant state of “almost finished” is more than just inefficient - it’s corrosive. It keeps us in stress cycles, distances us from joy, and often reinforces a painful narrative: I’ll be okay when…

Sound familiar?

A New Story About Progress

Here’s the shift I invite you to explore in this space:

You are not a machine designed to clear lists.

You are a human being in a dynamic, unfolding life—where the value is found not just in completion, but in connection, creativity, and meaning.

You can still set goals.

You can still love your work.

But your self-worth and well-being don’t have to be hooked on output alone.

Rest isn’t laziness—it’s leadership.

Pausing isn’t procrastination—it’s presence.

We’ll explore these ideas more deeply throughout this section. From neuroscience to narrative coaching, from workplace culture to personal rituals, this space is dedicated to helping you reconnect with your own rhythm - and to create a career and life that feels as good as it looks on paper.

Because the goal isn’t just to be successful.

It’s to be happy, fulfilled and well too.

After all, as tennis champion Martina Navratilova said,

“The moment of victory is too short to live for that and nothing else.”

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