{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"#68: Why Success Works, and You Still Feel Disconnected","description":"All of us were fed a certain modern promise of success: Work hard, become competent, and success follows.  And you know what? Despite its flaws, it mostly works. Effort compounds. Competence pays off. Success arrives. But then something strange happened. The questions that matter most don\u2019t go away. They get louder. Not questions about strategy or leverage. Questions about connection. Meaning. Why all of this still feels\u2026 flat. Here\u2019s the part no one warns achievers about: The modern promise of success was never meant to answer those questions. And the more success works, the more convincing the lie becomes that it should. So achievers do what they\u2019re trained to do. They optimize harder. They take control. They try to solve the problem. That\u2019s when things quietly degrade. Optimization doesn\u2019t create intimacy. Control erodes trust. Problem solving doesn\u2019t generate meaning or fulfillment.  The very tools that built success start breaking the internal world. Not because something went wrong. But because they were never designed for this terrain. This episode is about that moment. The moment success still works\u2026 yet something feels disconnected. No guilt. No self-diagnosis. No \u201cfind yourself\u201d detours. Just a clear explanation of why this happens, how achievers misread it, and what actually changes when success stops being the answer. If success has worked\u2026 but the deeper questions haven\u2019t stopped\u2026  Hit play.  Show Highlights Include: What to do when you feel uneasy after success so you don\u2019t jump into the throes of a mid-life crisis (1:44)  How the modern promise of success can leave you disconnected, unfulfilled, and unhappy (even if it\u2019s helped you achieve external and material success - and what perhaps the #1 modernity philosopher recommends to fill that internal void) (2:47)  The understandable, but false (and even completely backwards) assumption of success that achievers naturally gravitate towards which makes them look successful \u201con paper,\u201d but a chaotic mess inside (5:05)  The \u201cHedonic Adaptation" trap you naturally fall into when you\u2019re successful that leaves you feeling broken (6:48)  What ancient masters of discipline understood about effort and how it fundamentally changes your character (this is why progress creates friction) (9:19) Maslow\u2019s forgotten next step after self-actualization that can finally return your sense of fulfillment (15:08)  For more about David Tian, go here: https:\/\/www.davidtianphd.com\/about\/  Feeling like success in one area of life has come at the expense of another? Maybe you\u2019ve crushed it in your career, but your relationships feel strained. Or you\u2019ve built the life you thought you wanted, yet there\u2019s still something important missing. I\u2019ve put together a free 3-minute assessment to help you see what\u2019s really holding you back. Answer a few simple questions, and you\u2019ll get instant access to a personalized masterclass that speaks directly to where you are right now. It\u2019s fast. It\u2019s practical. And it could change the way you approach leadership, love, and fulfillment. Take the first step here \u2192 https:\/\/dtphd.com\/quiz ","author_name":"Beyond Success","author_url":"https:\/\/www.davidtianphd.com\/","html":"