The Myth of Arrival.
We’ve all done it.
Looked ahead to the next milestone and thought, “That. That’s when I’ll feel it. Peace. Confidence. Fulfillment. And, maybe even joy.”
We convince ourselves that if we can just cross that finish line. Hit the number. Launch the product. Prove our worth. Then, and only then, we’ll finally be able to exhale.
Finally feel like we’re enough.
Finally rest.
Finally arrive.
But here’s the truth: arrival is a myth.
I’ve coached founders who’ve sold companies for tens of millions of dollars and felt more lost than ever. I’ve walked with partners who got everything they prayed for and still felt like there was more to prove. I’ve sat with leaders who hit their quote-unquote pinnacle and quietly asked, “Why does it still feel like something’s missing?”
The myth of arrival is tempting.
It whispers that life is linear, progress is unending, and success will finally silence the insecurity.
Sorry amigo.
Real life doesn’t play by those rules. There’s always another mountain. Another unmet need. Another version of you waiting to be discovered.
If you’ve been telling yourself “when I finally get there,” let me ask you this: What happens if “there” doesn’t feel the way you hoped?
You see amigo, the deeper work isn’t about getting to the finish line. It’s about getting honest about what you’re chasing in the first place. And, why it matters.
Are you building a life, or are you trying to outrun a wound?
Are you leading to serve, or performing to be seen?
Are you chasing excellence, or are you just terrified of being ordinary?
These are not soft questions. They’re spiritual ones.
Because fulfillment was never meant to be earned.
Nope.
It was meant to be remembered. And what we’ve forgotten is that peace is not the prize at the end of the hustle. It’s the presence we bring to the hustle.
Confidence doesn’t come from winning the game, it comes from knowing who you are when the scoreboard’s off.
And, contribution isn’t measured in volume, it’s measured in alignment. Because, when your actions match your values, you don’t have to wait for the applause. You can feel the fulfillment in the here and now.
Here’s a mantra I use on the regular: I do not have to arrive, I just have to abide.
Abide in what’s real. Abide in what’s true. Abide in my faith. Abide in what’s mine to carry, and let the rest fall away.
It’s not about lowering the bar. I still believe in effort. I still love to win. I still believe work is good for your soul.
But I’ve lived long enough to know that the pursuit of excellence becomes toxic when it’s disconnected from identity.
The healthiest leaders I know don’t lead from a need to prove, they lead from a place of peace. They don’t rush to the next thing, they listen for what’s next. They know the way is rarely straight. And, that the best parts of life are found in the bends, the breaks, the becoming.
So, to you my friend, the driven, the disciplined, the determined, maybe today’s invitation is this:
Stop running. Take a breath. And, ask yourself not how far you’ve come, but who you’ve become.
Because that’s the real scoreboard.
That’s the deeper arrival.
Not the moment you cross the finish line, but the moment you remember you’re already enough. The moment you stop hustling for worth and start living from it. The moment you exchange striving for surrender and realize, this messy, beautiful, unfinished moment, is the only one you’re guaranteed.
You don’t need more credentials. You don’t need another shiny prize. You don’t need more applause. You don’t need permission.
You just need to wake up to your life again.
And, that starts by naming the myth. The myth that “arrival” will complete you. It won’t. But you, you were never missing anything in the first place.
You just forgot.
And, now, you’ve been reminded.
So go live like it.
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Steve Knox | Carmel, CA
\\\ Thanks as always for reading. Hope this one touched a nerve. Caused a gentle rumble inside you. Forward and share it with your driven amigos. It’s a conversation worth having. Until next week. Be honest. Be you. Much love and Godspeed.