When is success bad

Not self-love, but self-compassion. Not a win, but an effort. Graphic by Louisiana Mei Gelpi. By Lisa Marie Corso. By Mallory Rice. By Michael Gonzalez. By Beth Sacca. By Nili Blanck. Search Clear Search. They and sometimes I would put off ordinary delights of relaxation and time with loved ones until after this project, or that promotion, when finally it would be time to rest.

The desire for success may be inherent to human nature. Apart from some reality-TV stars and other accidental celebrities, success is brutal work, and it requires sacrifices. We can find this choice in ancient myth, as well. He describes his choice thusly:. Achilles, success addict par excellence , chooses death. Unfortunately, success is Sisyphean to mix my Greek myths. Psychologists call this the hedonic treadmill , in which satisfaction wears off almost immediately and we must run on to the next reward to avoid the feeling of falling behind.

This is why so many studies show that successful people are almost invariably jealous of people who are more successful. They should get off the treadmill. For people hooked on substances, withdrawal can be an agonizing experience, both physically and psychologically.

Anxiety and depression are very common after one quits alcoholic drinking, for example. Indeed, the novelist William Styron famously cited the cessation of his lifelong heavy drinking as part of the onset of the clinical depression he chronicled in his book Darkness Visible: A Memoir of Madness. Well, I think there are actually two kinds of success: good success and bad success.

Hence, it is important for us to distinguish between these two kinds of success to make sure that we are not falling to the wrong one.

What is good success? In my opinion, good success is the one which comes from doing the principles of truth. And principles of truth are those which go in accordance with our conscience. Too many times people try to be successful without obeying their conscience. Your mood lightens. You start getting used to getting up early. You actually look forward to the group runs at am. You look forward to the sunrises. Over the course of three months, you have developed a deeper understanding of your diet and how it affects your body.

Your inner talk track is healthier and kinder. Your family notices. You know not to start out too fast. You find the pace group that will run nine-minute miles and you settle in with them. It hurts, but it feels good at the same time.

Your family is here to take pictures and shout encouragement from the sideline. They are beaming. There was nothing more you could have done. In that precious moment, does it really matter that your friend David finished twelve minutes ahead of you? Developing your own inner guidance system is not complicated, but it can be challenging.

These three steps are a great start to put a smile on your face and those around you.