#25: Why You're Not Happy & Fulfilled (Even Though You "Should" Be)

If you’re a high achiever, you probably have a tendency to prioritize work above all else. Results are the most important thing to you. And all the other stuff—like deep relationships that offer true connection—are treated as “nice to haves.” 

But this is perhaps the biggest tragedy a high achiever could face. Because when something hits the fan one day (whether a gut-wrenching divorce, a paralyzing business problem, or even achieving a massive milestone), there’s nobody you care about whom you can really turn to. Nobody who actually cares about your triumphs or tribulations. 

Worst part?

You never feel truly fulfilled because you can’t be fulfilled without connection. Instead, you just feel empty. Like something deep is missing. 

And you know what?

It’s also an example of hustling backwards. If you truly want to be as successful as you can and feel deeply fulfilled even in the face of challenges, connection matters more than your skill set, your IQ, or any other metric you think contributes to success. This is backed by several studies that came to this exact conclusion:

Connection is the hidden key to success and longevity and happiness. 

In today’s show, you’ll see how lacking deep, meaningful relationships prevent success, fulfillment, happiness, and even your longevity. And more importantly, you’ll discover how to reverse these common trends achievers experience before it’s too late. 

Listen now. 

Show Highlights Include:

• The hard way high achievers can live longer, become more successful and feel more fulfilled (0:36) 
• How chronic loneliness kills you at the same rate as smoking 15 cigarettes per day (2:16) 
• Have you ever felt like you should be happy, but aren’t? Here’s what’s happening behind the scenes of your emotions and how to fix it (4:10) 
• The single most powerful “optimization hack” that most achievers completely overlook and ignore (5:16) 
• Here’s the one thing all the best companies, highest performing teams, and most effective have in common (it’s not the most skilled employees or teams with the highest IQ) (9:11) 
• How to boost the most important metrics of your team—like performance, creativity, resilience, and retention—by focusing on emotions, not results (12:35) 
• The cold, hard truth about why friendships disappear (and how to stop them before they do) (13:30) 

For more about David Tian, go here: https://www.davidtianphd.com/about/ 

Emotional Mastery is David Tian's step-by-step system to transform, regulate, and control your emotions... so that you can master yourself, your interactions with others, and your relationships... and live a life worth living. Learn more here: https://www.davidtianphd.com/emotionalmastery