A Counterintuitive Way To Satisfy The Desire For Achievement

Last Tuesday, I attended my first local Couchsurfing meetup since March.

It was like a breath of fresh air, an oasis after miles in the desert. I felt connected with my very social self and the other participants. A grueling but unconscious desire that has been around since April was satisfied.

Then I got the following insight:

The desire for achievement is, in reality, a desire for connection with others

To follow the logic of reasoning, ask yourself what extrinsic rewards you are looking for when achieving a certain outcome. For most people (me included), it is either recognition, impact, money, autonomy, higher status, or a combination of them.

However, recognition and higher status are not more than acceptance and connection with other people on a broader scale. The same goes for impact when you have delighted people. Money and autonomy are usually gateways to further involvement with people, whether it is status, networking, or other interesting options.

Nonetheless, all the extrinsic rewards all point to connecting with others, whether broadly or deeply. Instead of going the indirect path, you can directly seek connection and thus satisfy this need for…