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For Most of My Life, I Measured My Worth by What I Could Achieve
Stepping off the hamster wheel of success taught me where real worth comes from
I don’t say that lightly. I mean everything — grades, awards, praise, productivity, progress. I kept a mental scoreboard in my head, tallying up accomplishments like tokens that might one day buy me peace.
The more I achieved, the more I believed I was proving myself. To the world, yes. But mostly, to myself.
Growing up, I was the classic overachiever. Straight A’s. School president. Debate team captain.
I even tried to write a novel at sixteen — not because I had a burning story to tell, but because I thought being a “young author” would look good on applications.
I chased achievements like they were air, but I never felt like I could breathe.
At the time, I didn’t question it. Our culture rewards performance. We’re taught to strive, hustle, push, grind.
Somewhere along the way, I internalized this belief: If I’m not achieving, I’m falling behind. And falling behind? That felt like disappearing.
But burnout doesn’t ask for permission. It just arrives.
