There’s a pattern that’s so ingrained in the human psyche that Ancient Daoism noticed it long before psychology had language for cognition. It’s a pattern that sneaks up on almost every high achiever who tastes enough success. And it subtly erodes your judgement and strangles your emotional intelligence without your realizing.
Worst part?
The more intelligent you are, the faster your mind crumbles your judgement.
And while this pattern doesn’t usually cause immediate failure, it can lead to something far worse down the road.
Here’s the good news:

When you’re just starting out in your career, the feedback loop is crystal clear. There’s a cause and effect to your actions that lead to instantaneous rewards or consequences.
But the more success you achieve, the more muddled this signal becomes.
And the more distorted your signal, the more stressed and burnt out you become… while your confidence and self-esteem slowly evaporate.
Here’s the worst part:
A muddled signal is a sign from your internal environment that it needs a software update. But it’s sneaky – fear disguises itself as prudence and internal consequences are delayed from your external world. And so, you push harder, exert more effort, and fall deeper into this vicious cycle.
But there’s a better way…

All of us were fed a certain modern promise of success: Work hard, become competent, and success follows.
And you know what?
Despite its flaws, it mostly works.
Effort compounds. Competence pays off. Success arrives.
But then something strange happened.
The questions that matter most don’t go away. They get louder.
Not questions about strategy or leverage.
Questions about connection.
Meaning.
Why all of this still feels… flat.
Here’s the part no one warns achievers about:
The modern promise of success was never meant to answer those questions.