Why Success Can Feel So Bitter

Source: .theatlantic

Nothing is wrong with these goals per se, but if you place your happiness in their attainment, you are setting yourself up for your own version of these bitter Olympic moments.

Even if you achieve your goal, you are very unlikely to achieve the happiness you're after.

Some researchers have argued that when a goal is a true end point for progress, the cessation of forward motion can lead to a feeling of emptiness, exactly what Shcherbakova described in Beijing.

One big goal in the hope of attaining happiness is, ironically, to set yourself up for unhappiness.

Working toward a goal is a lot like that pie-eating contest.

Make sure you can break your long-term goals into smaller chunks-even into goals for individual days, if possible.