Moving the Goal Posts: When Success Is Never Enough

Ever crushed a goal you’d been chasing for months… only to immediately start obsessing over the next one? Yeah, you’re not alone. Ambition is great – until it becomes a moving target that you can never quite reach.

A warning from financial writer Morgan Housel that hit me hard: “It gets dangerous when the taste of having more – more money, more power, more prestige – increases ambition faster than satisfaction.” In other words, if we never let ourselves actually feel content with what we have, we end up perpetually unsatisfied no matter how much we achieve.

The Trap You Didn’t See Coming

The pattern usually goes like this: “If I can just get that promotion, then I’ll be happy.” Then you get it. The happiness lasts maybe a week. And suddenly there’s a new benchmark on the horizon. We keep moving the goal posts further out, reach the thing we thought we wanted, and promptly shift our focus to the next thing. Like a horse chasing a carrot it can never quite bite, we deny ourselves the chance to actually enjoy our wins.

Over time, this gets toxic. When your ambition grows faster than your ability to feel satisfied, you’re stuck in an endless loop of “not enough.” The more you achieve, the further away the next goal seems. It can drive you to workaholism, burnout, or taking risks you really shouldn’t – all in pursuit of that elusive “next level.”

Staying Ambitious Without Losing Your Mind

Wanting to improve is healthy. But it needs to be balanced with actually appreciating what you’ve already done.

• Actually celebrate your wins. Don’t just rush past them. When you hit a goal, take a beat. Mark the moment. Treat yourself. Share it with your team. Let the accomplishment sink in before you charge toward the next thing.

• Define what “enough” looks like. Get specific about what success means to you. Maybe it’s a certain income that gives you security, or having time for family, or something else entirely. Without a definition of “enough,” you’ll always feel like you haven’t arrived.

• Practice gratitude (seriously). Ambition focuses on the gap between where you are and where you want to be. Gratitude focuses on how far you’ve come. Try writing down three things you’re thankful for each week. It sounds cheesy, but it works.

• Make sure your goals are actually yours. Are you chasing what you want, or what society says you should want? When you pursue goals that genuinely matter to you, achieving them brings real fulfillment – not just relief at checking a box.

• Move the posts deliberately. New goals are fine – just be intentional about them. Ask yourself why you want the next thing and what it’ll actually give you. Aim higher if you want, but make sure you’re not just chasing out of habit.

The good news: ambition and satisfaction don’t have to be enemies. You can enjoy your successes and look forward to future goals. That’s a much better journey than constantly running on a treadmill that never stops.