Most high achievers are being driven by the absolute worst source of fuel: Fear, guilt, shame, and insecurities.
These traps are alluring because they’re actually effective routes to short-term success. And they disguise themselves as grit, discipline, and sheer determination.
Problem is… the well eventually runs dry.
And that’s the real reason why you feel stuck, uninspired, drained, and like you’re always playing catch up.
Worst part?

Many leaders are driven by an insidious fear that tells them their sense of self-worth depends on their ability to protect their mask. But your mask is just an outdated story your subconscious created, and protecting this mask can only drive a wedge between you and your spouse, your kids, and your team.
This is why it feels like you’re constantly at war. You are. Feedback morphs into betrayal. Correction morphs into humiliation. Making a mistake makes you feel like you’re being erased.
This is not a good way to live – and it’s an even worse way to lead. It leaves nothing but destruction and turmoil in your wake.
Worst part?

The “right to exist” is a common myth states use to justify aggression, destruction, and death. But states aren’t people. Structures rise and fall all the time. And using this argument to rationalize the actions of a state is misleading at best, and downright evil at worst.
And yet… people make a similar faulty argument in their own lives all the time. This is especially true if you have a leadership position:
A founder clings to a vision that no longer works. A CEO resists a restructuring that could save the company. A parent refuses to see their child’s independence as growth and not betrayal.