When Nothing You Do Feels Like Enough

I don’t know how to feel satisfied. I never have.

Every time I accomplish something, there’s a brief moment—maybe a few minutes, perhaps an hour—where I feel a slight sense of achievement. And then, just as quickly, it fades. Before I can even take it in, my mind jumps to the next thing. “Okay, that’s done. Now what?”

It’s like chasing a finish line that doesn’t exist.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been this way. When I hit a goal, I don’t stop to celebrate. I just set a new one. When I complete a project, I immediately think about how I could’ve done it better. Even when I exceed my expectations, I somehow convince myself that it wasn’t that impressive. And the worst part?

I’ve come to expect this feeling. It’s like I’ve wired my brain to believe that satisfaction is dangerous, that if I ever feel “done,” I’ll lose my edge.

In some ways, this mindset has helped me. It’s made me work harder, take risks, and push myself in ways I never thought possible. It’s the reason I keep going, even when I feel like giving up. And maybe you can relate to that—the constant drive, the refusal to settle, the belief that there’s always another level to reach.

But no one talks about the downside of this.

No one tells you how exhausting it is to live like this, to always feel like you’re behind, even when you’re ahead. No one warns you that the more you achieve, the less impressive your accomplishments start to feel. You hit a milestone that once seemed impossible, and instead of feeling proud, you brush it aside and proceed to the next task.. You convince yourself that happiness is just one more goal away. But it never is.

I’ve had moments where I should have been celebrating, but instead, I was already focused on the next step. I’ve finished projects that once felt like a dream, only to feel underwhelmed as soon as they were done. And I’ve caught myself comparing my progress to people who don’t even share my goals, thinking, “I should be further ahead by now”.And the truth is, it’s exhausting. It’s like carrying a weight that only gets heavier the more you achieve. The pressure doesn’t go away, it just grows with you.

But here’s what I’m starting to realise: What if the goalposts never stop moving because I am the one pushing them further away? What if I never feel satisfied because I don’t allow myself to?

What if I’ve been so focused on what’s next that I’ve never actually taken a moment to appreciate where I am now?

And maybe you feel the same way.

So I’ll leave you with this question—one I don’t have the answer to yet, but I’m trying to figure out:

What if you are already enough?