A lot of people who are objectively doing well still feel behind, and there is a reason the feeling is so stubborn. Your sense of what counts as enough is not fixed. It resets based on whatever is around you, usually without you noticing.
The home, the career, the lifestyle that felt like real success a few years ago can start to feel like the bare minimum. Nothing got worse. The reference point moved. You got the raise, then your idea of a normal income climbed to match it. You reached the goal and the goalposts strolled off to a new spot. Psychologists have a name for this treadmill, and a lot of marketing runs on it.
Knowing it is happening is most of the cure. When you catch your standard creeping up right behind your progress, you can anchor to something steadier, like whether your actual life is working and whether you are on track for the goals you set. Doing fine is a real state. It is worth letting yourself feel it instead of handing the win straight back to the treadmill.
Hosted byNick GeorgeCFP®, ChFC®, CLU®, IWA™FounderView bio →
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