Chasing someone else’s peak?
Most accomplished professionals I work with aren't actually stalled — they're just climbing someone else's mountain.
They come to me grinding hard against goals that never quite felt like their own. Working longer, pushing harder, trying to master every situation. Like an oak tree fighting the wind instead of a bamboo stem moving with it.
I see this pattern everywhere: in recovery rooms, in cycling groups, in corporate leadership. People confusing rigidity with resilience, mistaking force for flow. They're so busy trying to reach the peak that they forget to ask if it's even their mountain.
Here's what fascinates me: The moment someone notices they're climbing someone else's dream, everything shifts. Not because they've found their true purpose or unlocked their potential, but because they've stopped creating resistance against their own direction.
Real momentum doesn't come from pushing harder. It comes from noticing where you're fighting gravity unnecessarily.