There’s a term called “summit syndrome,” which describes the slump that high-achievers sometimes experience after they’ve met their most ambitious goal and now feel as if their life lacks purpose.
Imagine dedicating your entire life to achieving one stretch goal and then finally completing it ahead of schedule. What next?! This perfectly describes the feeling that I felt after achieving my major goals in one year.
You’d think that I’d be elated that I met my goals ahead of schedule, but it was the opposite. Prior to this, every moment of my life was spent pursuing the accomplishment of things that others said were unlikely for me. When I arrived at the finish line, I celebrated by buying the coveted Rolex, but soon the watch became a visual reminder that my biggest achievements might be in the past.
Two years later, I finally snapped out of it and set another big goal to purchase a sports car in the next five years. Two weeks later, the goal was achieved and the summit syndrome was back even stronger.
Now after a lot of reflection, I’ve realized that life does not have to consist of the daily pursuit of super ambitious goals. I’ve shifted my mindset and now small wins now give me as big of dopamine hit as the large ones. Reading a book to my nephews, going to the gym, posting an Instagram story, doing laundry, spending time with friends and family—these are all things that are as significant to me as launching a new business or buying a new car. Writing this blog post is a big achievement!
So this officially marks the end of my summit syndrome. I still have many more goals to achieve, but I will not let the size of those goals define me. The journey still continues, but now the “summit” has evolved. I’m cured.