Many successful professionals, or "strivers," are addicted to success and fear failure. This leads to workaholism, which boosts career satisfaction but often at the cost of personal enjoyment, leisure, and relationships, ultimately hindering overall happiness.
To balance external pressures for achievement with an internal quest for meaning, dedicate yourself to becoming excellent at things that offer no worldly reward. Pursue mastery in hobbies, relationships, or spiritual practices where the satisfaction is purely intrinsic, detaching your sense of self-worth from your career.
Humans have an introspective "me self" (self-consciousness) and an observational "I self" (world-consciousness). Over-indexing on the "me self" causes misery and social comparison. To find meaning, deliberately shift to the "I self" by observing the world and getting out of your own head.
Abstract life goals like meaning or a "calling" cannot be pursued directly. Instead, you must identify tangible "proxy goals" that lead you toward them. The key is choosing good proxies based on intrinsic satisfaction, not external validation like money, power, or fame.
The abstract search for meaning can be broken down into three concrete questions: "Why do things happen the way they do?" (coherence), "Where am I going with my life?" (purpose), and "Why does my life matter?" (significance). Lacking an answer to any of these undermines a sense of meaning.
For high-achievers prone to negative emotions, self-management requires disciplined protocols, not just willpower. Implement a structured morning routine specifically to manage negative affect and increase productivity, and an evening routine to manage affect and enhance sleep. This systematic approach is more effective than relying on willpower alone.