Success

What Happened After I Achieved My Life Goals?

Success can be a terrible thing

Photo by Hanna Postova on Unsplash

I achieved all of my life goals eight years ago, two months before my 30th birthday.

Some would call that a success story, to be sure. I was on top of the world, or so it would seem. It turns out, achieving all of your life goals can be a terrible thing.

What I had achieved

I’m an easygoing person with simple goals. Since I was a young child, I only ever wanted three things:

1. To tell stories for a living
2. To have a family
3. To be a martial arts instructor

That’s it. No million dollars, no sports cars. Not that those are not worthy objectives, they were just never my objectives. But having achieved success, I can see why people tell you to enjoy the journey, and why rich people are among some of the most depressed in the world.

In 2005, I got married and had my first child (I have three now). In 2010, I sold my first story and started a career as a storyteller. In 2012, I earned my second black belt and instructor’s certification in Jeet Kune Do.

I had achieved everything I had set out after. God, did it suck.