Hey friend,​​

You work for years.

You sacrifice, obsess, chase.

And then it happens.

You win.

You achieve the thing.

You get exactly what you said you wanted.

But then, once it’s completed and done, you suddenly feel a sense of emptiness.

You’re left thinking — is this it?

The glow of that ambition-fuelled, obsessive mindset—the one that carried you to the top—vanishes almost instantly. The state that once felt intoxicating is gone, and with it, the purpose that was driving you forward.

You strive for something for so long. You work relentlessly. You commit fully. You live it, breathe it, become it. And then it happens. You reach it. You win. And something strange arrives: a sense of emptiness. A stillness you weren’t expecting.

The clarity that follows success is sobering—almost jarring.

It’s a moment that pulls you out of the dream and back into reality.

A kind of post-nut clarity—not sexual, but psychological.

A post-success clarity.

The fog of pursuit clears. The emotional surge subsides. What felt like everything now feels like silence.

And in that silence, deeper questions begin to emerge: What does it all mean? Did I really want this, or did I just want the feeling of wanting something?

The tunnel vision dissolves. The hunger that once kept your foot on the gas disappears, and you’re left to look at what you’ve built with a quieter, more honest mind. Sometimes, what you see isn’t what you hoped it would be.

It’s in the pursuit where we often feel most alive.

The anticipation, the effort, the forward motion—it gives us energy, direction, even identity. But when the pursuit ends, the veil drops. The illusion fades. And you’re left with yourself and a result that might not feel like enough.

So what do we do? Most of us search for the next thing. Another goal. A new dream. A fresh obsession. Something to chase, something to stretch toward.

We crave the intoxication of striving.

Because that feeling, that state, is often more addictive than the success itself.

But it leaves a question lingering in the air: Do we actually love the outcome? Or do we just love the chase?

When you’ve achieved everything you thought you wanted, and the clarity sets in, you have to be ready for what it reveals.

Because at that point, all that’s left is what’s real—what’s in front of you, what you’ve built, who you’ve become. And if you don’t love it, if you don’t feel anchored in it, the void will return.

So maybe the real work isn’t in chasing more. Maybe it’s in learning to sit with what is. And being able to say, This is what I chose. This is enough. And I just needed to recognise what was already here.

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Quote I liked

Execution is easy if you work hard at it, and hard if you work easy at it.

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Recommendation for you

Shrinking (Season 2) on Apple TV.

Funny and thoughtful from the creators of Ted Lasso.

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Podcast

I have a podcast that helps you build a stronger mind to take on life. Like me, it's a work in progress.
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What No One Wants to Admit About the Mental Health Crisis​
- Clare Rowe
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I'll see you later,

Lewis

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