High performers are wired for more.
More goals. More progress. More achievement.
It’s a part of our DNA.
But, I have learned the hard way, that more for the sake of more isn’t the goal.
You see it all the time.
Someone who, from the outside, looks to be at the peak of success.
Yet inside, they’re restless, unfulfilled, and still chasing the next big milestone.
But at what cost?
A solopreneur who’s grown year over year for five straight years, until a new baby arrives and growth plateaus. Suddenly, they feel like they’re failing, even though they’ve built exactly the life they once dreamed of.
A founder who defines success as landing “the right” investor or the perfect exit, never pausing to consider what they’re losing on the other side of that transaction.
A newly promoted director who finally earns the big title and the bigger paycheck, only to discover the work is now spreadsheets and meetings, not the hands-on problem solving they loved.
Too often, we chase these versions of success because they look like the right next step. They’re what others celebrate and signal that we’re moving ahead.
At some point, you have to step back and ask:
What am I really solving for?
Sitting by a fire pit at our lake house, an old friend talked about retiring.
He had a successful career.
His kids were grown.
He wanted to spend more time with his wife and work on projects that had nothing to do with business.
But for his entire adult life, his life was his work.
When he said he was thinking of retiring, his wise wife asked,
“What’s the opposite of more?”
He thought for a moment and said, “Less, I guess.”
She smiled and replied,
“No. The opposite of more is enough. We already have enough.”
I think about that moment often.
As a leader, are you always pushing for more, or do you know when you have enough?
As leaders, we’re often taught to optimize for more: more growth, more scope, more responsibility.
But the real work is learning to recognize enough.
Enough impact.
Enough income.
Enough of the right kind of work.
When you know what enough looks like for you, every decision becomes clearer, from the job offers you take to the opportunities you walk away from.
Because the hardest part isn’t defining success, it’s remembering that it has to be yours.
And if you’ve been chasing someone else’s version of “more”, maybe it’s time to step back and ask what you’re really solving for.
If you haven’t had that reflection lately, I built something to help:
👉 The Career Planning Framework is a simple, guided Notion workbook to help you clarify what “enough” looks like for you across purpose, pay, and how you want to spend your days.
I think it is so universally helpful, you can name your own price for it, down to $0.
I hope you take the opportunity to work on getting the clarity you deserve.
I’d love to hear how it goes.
