Let’s get real for a second.

You were told that success looks like this:

• Work hard

• Make money

• Then, finally, be happy

Sounds reasonable. Except it’s complete bullshit.

If that formula actually worked, why do so many “successful” people feel exhausted, trapped, and quietly miserable?

Because success wasn’t designed to set you free.
It was designed to keep you chasing.

You hit a milestone, and instead of feeling complete, the goalpost moves.

You make more money, and suddenly so do your fears about losing it.

You “arrive,” only to realize you still don’t feel like you’ve made it.

That’s not a personal failure.
That’s a system glitch.

Here’s the truth most people never hear.

Success isn’t something you earn.
It’s something you become.

You don’t work hard and then get happy.
You get happy first — and that rewires how you move, decide, and respond to your life.

When your nervous system feels safe, your choices change.
You stop forcing.
You stop bracing.
You stop treating your life like something you have to conquer.

That’s when success starts showing up as a side effect instead of a moving target.

Try this today.

Write down one belief about success that feels obviously true but might actually be a scam.
For example: “I have to work twice as hard to deserve more money.”

Then ask yourself this:
If that belief wasn’t real, what would I do differently today?

Do that thing.
Right now.
Before your old programming talks you out of it.

This isn’t about doing more.
It’s about deleting the code that keeps looping you back into effort without fulfillment.

The reason so many people feel disillusioned after “making it” is because no one taught them this part:
When your body is wired for survival, achievement turns into pressure.
When your body is wired for safety, success becomes something you can actually enjoy.

Success was never the goal.
Freedom was.

And the moment you stop chasing success like a finish line, it starts moving toward you instead.

That’s not motivation.
That’s a system update.

Abi xoxo