Of all the unconscious behavior I see on social media every day, unconscious striving is perhaps the one that gives me the heaviest feeling in my soul.

So many people out here endlessly checking boxes and celebrating hollow victories, ceaselessly extrinsically motivated by a culture of grind and comparison that places more importance on what a person is able to produce or achieve than on who they actually *are*.

I see so many people burning out because they are hyper-focused on doing what’s ‘right’ or ‘good’ or ‘of strategic importance’ according to some impossible, misaligned, often misguided, and ever-changing standard, instead of focusing on what’s real, what’s here, what’s now, what’s reasonable, what’s healthy…or what they actually want.

We are humans in bodies having experiences with other humans in bodies having experiences. We all have more choice in how that experience unfolds than we realize.

Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Then ask yourself this question:

Why am I on this path?

Get curious. Get honest. See what comes up.