achievements

Perfection doesn't exist

Are happiness and achievement connected?

I think achievement measures what you accomplish, and personal growth is also about who you become along the way. You can achieve everything you set out to accomplish and still feel that something is missing. And on the other hand, you can find happiness and meaning in life without constantly striving for the next achievement. For me, personal growth is about finding a balance between the two. Therefore, I ask myself these six questions every day:

  • Did I do my best to set clear goals today?

  • Did I do my best to work towards achieving those goals?

  • Did I do my best to find meaning and purpose in my life today

  • Did I do my best to create happiness for myself today?

  • Did I do my best to support others and bring out the best in them?

  • Did I do my best to learn something about myself today?

These questions are about being intentional, taking responsibility for your own development, and recognising that growth is an ongoing process. Does this make sense?

A sense of fulfilment

Happiness and achievement are independent variables.We treat them as if they move on the same line, as if enough achievement eventually converts into happiness, like currency you can exchange once you hit a certain amount. Remember they are not measuring the same thing, achievement measures distance traveled against a goal whilst happiness measures the quality of your relationship with the present moment, regardless of where you are on that journey. This is why you can hit the milestone and feel nothing. And why you can be in the middle of something unfinished, uncertain, maybe even failing, and still feel genuinely alive.

““Human diversity is a feature, not a bug. In any group of around 150 people, shaped by our evolutionary history, there will always be people who think differently.”
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— Helen Taylor

Your greatest resource

Happiness and achievement are independent variables. We treat them as if they move on the same line, as if enough achievement eventually converts into happiness, like currency you can exchange once you hit a certain amount. But they are not measuring the same thing as achievement measures distance traveled against a goal, and happiness measures the quality of your relationship with the present moment, regardless of where you are on that journey. This is why you can hit the milestone and feel nothing. And why you can be in the middle of something unfinished, uncertain, maybe even failing, and still feel genuinely alive.

There is a danger is not pursuing achievement and the danger is outsourcing your happiness to it, deciding in advance that joy is conditional on arrival. That bargain rarely pays out the way we expect, because the goalposts move the moment we reach them. The promotion becomes the next promotion. The number becomes a bigger number. I think we should be happy to be happy, achieve to achieve. Let each one stand on its own terms instead of asking one to justify the other. The person who can do this isn't settling for less, they are refusing to make their peace of mind conditional on outcomes they can't fully control.

Nature knows best

Do you tie your sense of identity to your achievements?

Many high performers do, often without realising it. Promotions, recognition, and external success can become the markers we use to measure our worth. Research shows that when we prioritise the external over the internal, our wellbeing suffers. I think the drive for achievement can easily blur into anxiety, self-doubt, and fear of falling short.

That inner voice , the one that questions your ability or tells you to hold back, often speaks loudest when you are stretching yourself. Yet, those same moments can be opportunities to grow. Learning to recognise and work with that voice, rather than against it, is one of the most powerful shifts you can make as a leader.

With the right tools, it’s possible to reframe stress from something threatening to something that signals growth, a challenge you can rise to and learn from. If this feels familiar, you are welcome to book a complimentary 30-minute discovery call to explore how coaching can help you strengthen your mindset and reclaim a healthier relationship with achievement. Book me…

““Never complain. Never explain.””
— Benjamin Disraeli