Find the balance between destination and path, between ambition and fulfillment (to avoid the blues and the weariness of achieved goals).
In this newsletter, I’m going to answer a dilemma you’ve probably already faced:
They say you shouldn’t just focus on the destination (the goal), but on the process (the path)… But practice is more nuanced!
We need goals that motivate and drive us, but we also need to find the meaning and enthusiasm to get there.
I’m going to provide you with some keys here, while talking about what athletes experience when faced with a feeling of emptiness once they’ve achieved the ambition they’ve trained for for years…
It will also speak to my multipotential friends who quickly lose interest once they’ve reached their goal, or for lack of new challenges…
🎯Rethink your goals to find the balance between ambition and pleasure
Many athletes talk about it, live it:
They train their whole lives for a moment of glory, a medal, and then feel the big blues once the goal has been achieved and they’re back “to normal”.
This is now even taken into account in performance coaching: not only the preparation (before), but also the aftermath…
Perhaps you’ve already experienced it: once a goal has been achieved, after the euphoria and celebration, everything falls back into place…
With the famous question:
“What’s next?”
This feeling of emptiness after achieving a goal can be disconcerting. Fulfillment shouldn’t be a single destination, but a constant state, a process.
That’s why we think a goal will make us happy, and in the end we find ourselves at the same level of fulfillment shortly after achieving it…
🏅TheCauses of the “Post-Olympic” Emptiness 🥇
Several factors contribute to this feeling of emptiness or depression after achieving a major goal such as an Olympic medal…:
- Loss of Purpose 🎯: After years of intense preparation focused on a single goal, athletes can feel disoriented once that goal is achieved.
- Difficult Transition 🌀: The return to normal life after the intensity and excitement of the Games can be brutal and destabilizing.
- Loss of Identity 🧠: Many athletes build their identity around their sport. Once the competition is over, they can feel an existential void.
- Pressure and Expectations 📈: Sporting success is often accompanied by heightened expectations, which can generate stress and anxiety.
- Isolation 🤝: After the Games, athletes can feel lonely, far from the structured environment and support they enjoyed during their preparation.
Of course, this is a human phenomenon and not exclusive to athletes (in whom all this is amplified during major competitions). You can also experience it in your own achievements.
Revisit the notion of objectives:
Goals should be seen as targets, not final destinations.
Several studies on happiness, including Flow: The Psychology of Happiness, demonstrate the importance of having goals and projects.
You need targets, challenges, a vision that drives you. They guide our direction, but they don’t define our value or happiness as an end in themselves.
Use them to give meaning to your progress, but don’t focus exclusively on them.
Appreciate the Way
Every step, every challenge on the way to a goal is an opportunity for learning and growth.
Learn to savor the small daily successes and find joy in the very process of progressing and pursuing your ambitions.
I often say: the goal is not to base your confidence and esteem on results, but on giving your best every day.
Adopt a progress mentality and mental flexibility
Rather than focusing solely on the end goal, i.e. the result, adopt a process mentality.
Focus on what you’re doing today to make progress. Appreciate every moment, every effort, every small step that brings you closer to your goal.
Be flexible in your approach to goals.
If circumstances change, adapt without losing sight of the pleasure of the journey.
Life is dynamic, and our ability to adjust is essential to maintaining our fulfillment.
You’ve achieved the result you’re looking for:
- Celebrate, learn, continue
Didn’t achieve the result? Experienced failure?
- Did you do your best?
- Learn, continue…
Balancing goals and well-being
Don’t sacrifice your well-being for a goal.
Make sure your goals contribute to your happiness and personal growth.
They have to make sense!
Fulfillment comes from a harmonious balance between pursuing our dreams and enjoying every step of the journey.
Recovery and self-care must be part of the process!
Strategies for overcoming the post-Victory void
Of course, you’ll have achievements and victories, with the moment of euphoria followed, perhaps, by a moment of the blues.
To help overcome the “down” period after achieving a major goal, I recommend :
- Develop diverse interests: Encourage the development of interests and passions outside your core business to diversify your identity.
- Spend time with family and friends : Don’t be lonely, find intimate moments with your loved ones.
- Plan post-accomplishment activities: Plan vacations or relaxing activities after the competition to ease the transition.
- Simply accept it: it can be part of the process, and if you’re willing, you can also accept that it’s normal and live it like any other emotional passage in life.
Rethinking our goals means understanding that true satisfaction comes not only from reaching our targets, but also from appreciating how far we’ve come.
Aim for your goals with passion, but don’t forget to savour every step along the way.
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