You hit a goal. You get the job. You finish the project. You finally launch the thing you’ve been dreaming about for years. But when it happens, it feels… weird. You’re proud, yes. But something’s missing. And you can’t even explain it because on paper, everything looks great.
Success isn’t always the high we imagine it to be. Sometimes, it’s sobering. Sometimes, it’s lonely. Sometimes, it brings up parts of you that feel completely unprepared for the new level you’ve stepped into.
I remember a time I reached a huge milestone I had worked years for. I thought I’d feel deeply satisfied. But I felt numb. Then tired. Then confused. And honestly, a little guilty for not feeling more grateful.
Here’s what I’ve come to understand
Success will expose everything you haven’t healed. It brings up insecurities, fears, and impostor syndrome in ways you might not expect. Why? Because it challenges the version of you that was used to striving. Now you’re here, and you don’t know how to be without the chase.
Things that success might stir up that no one warned you about:
• The fear of losing it: You finally have what you wanted, and now you’re anxious about keeping it.
• Survivor’s guilt: You made it, but others around you are still struggling, and you don’t know how to carry that tension.
• Loneliness: Your circle might shift, and some people may start to treat you differently.
• The identity gap: You’re no longer who you were before, but you are still on the journey of becoming.
It’s easy to keep moving the goalpost when you’re used to surviving, but real growth requires sitting in the “now.” Not the next. That awkward middle between accomplishment and alignment. You can be successful and still feel the need to recalibrate. That doesn’t mean you’re ungrateful. It means you’re self-aware.
How to ground yourself when success feels strange:
• Pause before you plan the next thing. Give yourself time to feel this season before jumping to the next milestone.
• Celebrate internally, not just externally. Ask: “What did this cost me emotionally?” “What did I learn about myself?”
• Check in with your values. Is this success aligned with the life you actually want or just what you thought you were supposed to want?
• Let yourself evolve. Sometimes success shows you what you don’t want to do again. That’s valid too.
The truth is: success is just another chapter. It doesn’t always come with euphoria or clarity. Sometimes it comes with questions you didn’t even know you needed to ask. And that’s okay.
You’re allowed to feel proud and a little lost. You’re allowed to outgrow the goal once you’ve reached it. You’re allowed to shift your definition of success as you grow. You don’t need to pretend it’s perfect.
If you feel the need to address your current feelings, let’s talk over a session, send an email to hello@nikefolagbade.com
