Hey Reader,

Happy Tuesday, friends.

Let’s start with the thought you might be afraid to say out loud:

I’m doing everything right, so why does everything still feel off?

Every day you show up, deliver results, and lead amazing people. And for a long time, that felt like enough. You took pride in the fact that you could exceed expectations.

But without realizing it, you made small changes to achieve those results.

Lunches used to be when you’d socialize with colleagues. Now food is fuel meant to be squeezed between meetings.

Building relationships started to feel more transactional instead of a chance to meet new and interesting people.

Even rest is being rebranded as “recharging” so we’re able to be more productive the next day.

We’ve spent so long optimizing for the world’s version of success that somewhere along the way, we started losing touch with our own definition.

And that “off” feeling isn’t a sign that something is wrong with you. It’s a sign that there’s a spark of your humanity that’s paying attention and reaching out for change. And you’re not the only one feeling this way.

We live in a world that has slowly converted almost every human experience into a unit of productivity. And it happened so gradually that most of us don’t notice until we’re deep inside it.

I’ll be honest, I got sucked into this too. I had a whole conversation with an AI assistant to find the most optimal app for sleep sounds. Not the most peaceful or relaxing. What would give me the maximum sleep efficiency so I could be at maximum productivity the next day. Yea….

So why do we do this in the first place? Because it’s what we’ve always been rewarded for.

From childhood, we were taught that effort leads to reward. The gold star on the chart. The A on the test. The promotion. Each achievement told us the same thing:

What you produce is what you’re worth. So we kept producing.

And subconsciously, our sense of who we are got tied to what we can deliver.

But you’ve probably felt this already: We can’t keep working like this.

This isn’t a personal failing. It’s a reasonable response to the world and its demands. 70% of C-suite execs have seriously considered walking away for their own well-being. And 80% of CEOs report feeling genuinely lonely at the top.

You’ve just started noticing what most people are feeling but not saying.

I don’t want to send you off with a list of things to change over a week. That would defeat the purpose of what we’re trying to do here.

Instead, I want to leave you with one thing to notice this week.

At some point, you’re probably going to want to recharge. Maybe you’ll take a walk, do a workout, or finally read that book that’s been sitting on your bedside table for weeks. (not calling you out, I’m guilty of this too.)

When that moment comes, ask yourself one question:

Am I doing this for me, or am I doing this so I can get back to performing?

There’s a difference between resting because you’re human, and “resting” so you can feel more productive tomorrow. On the outside, they can look like the exact same thing. But inside, they’ll feel totally different.

You don’t need to do anything with the answer. Just notice which one it is.

Hit reply and let me know what resonates. I read every message.