I used to have a job that paid well and offered benefits like a pension scheme.
Yet, I hardly saw my kids.
When I returned to work after maternity leave, I almost fell off my office chair from tiredness. My exhaustion made me realize it’s important to be able to work when you can, and want to work.
Parents who achieve career success often think they’ve won.
But did they really?
The Cost of Achievement-At-All-Costs
Success could cost you everything.
Your sleep. Your relationships. Your sanity.
Our culture makes heroes of people who are quietly drowning. We write articles about the “hustle.” We focus on the wins.
We don’t see the people who lost themselves getting there.
The Lie We Keep Believing
“Once I hit this milestone, I’ll finally relax.”
“Just one more year of grinding, then I’ll focus on my health/family/peace.”
I’ve heard this a lot. I’ve said it to myself.
You reach one goal, then the next one appears. So you keep chasing. The milestone moves. The “enough” never comes.
For me, it just meant regret about time I could have spent with my family.
Here’s what’s really happening: You’re not building toward peace. You’re running from something you haven’t named yet.
You’re chasing the feeling you think success will give you. Worth? Security? Will you finally feel enough?
But you can’t trade your inner peace for outer success and call it a win.
What It Actually Costs You
You become someone who can’t sit still.
Someone who’s never fully present with your family because you’re already planning tomorrow.
Everything becomes a transaction. Every moment has to be productive. Rest feels like weakness.
Then one day you look up and realize you’ve built a life you don’t actually want to live.
What You’ll Really Regret
You won’t wish you’d worked more or accumulated more.
You’ll wish you’d been more present. More peaceful. With your kids, your spouse, yourself.
You’ll wish you’d chosen peace over performance.
Real success includes peace from the start; not as a reward that only comes later.
The Way Forward
Build and create, but not at the cost of your peace.
Pursue your goals and honor your needs.
Work hard and rest well.
Find contentment where you are now.
Peace isn’t something you earn after you’ve achieved enough. It’s the foundation you build everything else on.
