Stop Striving—Jump Straight to the Post-Achievement Phase

A lot of times, when people start out in the thought leadership sphere, they tread lightly into this important next chapter of their lives. 

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They’re constantly on their best behavior. They try to make everyone happy. They avoid rocking the boat. They don’t want to make any mistakes or have anybody think any less of them. 

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Of course, it’s only normal to want to make a great impression. But often, this type of behavior limits your impact and damages your personal sense of freedom and satisfaction. 

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The Achievement Phase vs. the Post-Achievement Phase 

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I spent most of my early life striving—trying to achieve, impress, and accumulate. The constant striving resulted in building and exiting two businesses, the publishing of too many books, and a busy speaking career—along with lots of stress, little sleep, and constant worry. 

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I call this the achievement phrase: the period of life when you focus on climbing the ladder, making your mark, and accomplishing your goals. 

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Now, this phase might be necessary (although I’m not convinced it is). Driving toward your goals is important. But at some point—often as you get older—you start to wonder if that’s really what it’s all about. As you start to let go of the need for approval, focus on your purpose, and seek fulfillment, you might find yourself entering the post-achievement phase.  

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Last year I saw this term—the post-achievement phase—referenced in a WSJ article titled, “These Professionals Aren’t Retired, They Just Have Zero to Prove.” It was particularly relevant at the time, given we were finalizing the acquisition of our business. 

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In the freeing post-achievement chapter of life, you don’t need approval from anyone. You don’t need achievement to prove your value or to know who you are. You stop striving—and start spending time on things for the pure joy of it, or simply to experience learning something new. You let go of perfectionism. You connect with enjoyable people who help you do your best work. You stop worrying so much—and you start enjoying more. 

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Stop Striving. Start Enjoying.

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But what struck me, given my work with thousands of people moving into speaking and authorship, is that you don’t have to wait for a golden invitation to the post-achievement phase of life. 

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No matter what you’re doing, no matter what point you’re at in your career, no matter how much or how little you’ve accomplished so far—you can decide today to step into the post-achievement phase. 

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Yes, even if you’re starting something totally new. Yes, even if you don’t feel you’re good enough or ready enough or smart enough or successful enough. 

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Just flip the script. 

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When you take on a post-achievement attitude, you can start a whole new beautiful stage of your career—doing new, meaningful, important things without being a striver. It’s no longer about the achievement—it’s about the process, the learning, the purpose. When you take this approach, you might just find that everything becomes easier. 

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You’ll still fall down and scrape your elbows. You’ll still be rejected. You’ll still feel confused. But as you make this mindset shift, you realize you don’t need approval from anyone to do your best work. 

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You do the work for its sake and for your sake. Your life and work start to feel more like a curious, investigative journey than a relentless obstacle course you’re trying to control. You focus on serving, rather than striving. 

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You stop competing, and start collaborating—because you realize that we can do more together than we ever could alone. You realize that the process is the pleasure—and that the relationships you form along the way are what matter most.

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At the start of your career, you might think it’s about the wins, the awards, the recognition. But once you reach that so-called destination, you likely won’t look back and relish your awards and trophies. Instead, you’ll cherish the moments, the memories, and the people who shaped you along the way. 

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Because really, it’s the people who matter. It’s the people who make the journey, the process, and the messy middle not just bearable, but enjoyable. It’s the people who’ve got your back who give you the courage to be fully self-expressed. 

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So don’t waste your time chasing more at the expense of your relationships or your health. Stop striving, and start relishing the post-achievement phase of life. When you do, you might just find that what you felt was important in the achievement phase wasn’t that important after all.