The post-success void

Focusing on daily joys while enjoying the process of achieving goals can prevent emotional emptiness

- Sonali Gupta

A 40-year-old client recently said: "For the last three years I worked hard to launch this creative enterprise and now when it's finally out there, I feel empty. While everyone around me is full of joy, I feel the opposite. The product is received well, but it's hard for me to shake this feeling off."

After clients have achieved their goals, completed creative projects that sustained for a while or achieved what seemed like a lifelong dream, they often talk about how, contrary to their expectations, they don't feel euphoric. Clients mention a feeling of numbness, purposelessness, restlessness and even sadness that's hard to decipher. People across professions can find themselves experiencing this, but it is heightened for those in creative professions, artists, writers, athletes and those who consistently find themselves in the spotlight.