Success and achievement aren’t just some kind of psychological trick or a shallow distraction. They’re actually a way to make sense of the uncertainty of life, narrow your options of choices, and shape distracted energy into focused action.

In this way, success and achievement work perfectly. They take you from the fog of uncertainty and grant you the life you thought you always wanted.

Problem is, it’s disorienting and confusing after you become successful because it can no longer order your priorities in the way it did before you tasted success yourself. This is why it feels like a mid-life crisis, being burnt out, losing your edge, or judging yourself for not being as appreciative of your success as you think you should be.

But it’s NOT some kind of personal failure or character defect. Instead, it’s something called the “Orientation Gap.” You enter this Orientation Gap when success no longer gives you structure (which is normal once you achieve the success you originally set out for).

There are several costs you’re forced to pay when you treat moral value as optional.

First, it tricks you into commoditizing yourself. Relationships become shallow and transaction-based. Fulfillment disappears. Low-grade tension replaces it.

Next, your mind tricks you into the denial trap. Deep sleep becomes a long-forgotten memory. Your dreams become lighter (if they’re still there at all). And your mind is constantly “on edge,” never able to relax.

Then, the hidden costs start emerging. Low-grade guilt and toxic shame. But it’s not dramatic. It’s a subtle, ongoing strain that suffocates any feelings of deep peace, real rest, and carefree joy.

You might get hits of these feelings, but they never last.

Here’s the good news: