DiscoLink Club is full of incredible high achievers - by all accounts, over-achievers - people who crush their day jobs and also crush a project or two on the side. While others are binge-watching a TV show or sleeping, these people are building empires on the side. 

If I’m being very kind to myself and borderline delusional, I can even consider myself one of them. 

We overachievers get hooked on goals and milestones. We set lofty, incredible goals for ourselves, and drive ourselves hard to reach them. 

And because we are who we are: we reach them. And then some. 

But then something funny (infuriating) happens. Instead of feeling happiness, accomplishment, and joy, we feel… the same as before. 

Arrival Fallacy guarantees it.

Arrival Fallacy is the illusion that once we reach a milestone or goal, we will reach lasting happiness. 

It can be especially dangerous for those of us with multiple side projects because we can sometimes push away rest, family time, and other personal needs in the name of “I’ll do that when I accomplish XYZ goal.” 

So how do we beat Arrival Fallacy? 

I love this cure from AC Shilton in an old but great article in the New York Times.

She recommends setting multiple concurrent goals, both within work/ side projects and in your personal life. 

This way, you don’t hyperfocus on one aspect of life and abandon the others entirely.

For example: if your only goal is to accomplish a milestone at your day job, you may do so at the cost of spending time with your children or your new running hobby. Increasing time with your children and running 4x a week should also be goals of yours, to act as a counterbalance to your day job goal. 

This way you don’t hyperfocus on one goal and fall off the wagon on other elements of your life that are equally important. You also keep yourself from ever truly “arriving” at all of your goals all at once. 

Because the thing is, Arrival Fallacy can’t happen if you’re never actually arriving. 

Try it on for size and let me know what you think ❤️

— Irina, Saron, and the team behind DiscoLink

Hot off the press from DiscoLink 🪩

In case you missed our AMA with Nadia Odunayo – the full recording is now live on our Youtube Channel. 

Hear how she bootstrapped The StoryGraph into a thriving startup, and the insights + experiences she shares from her journey.

Be sure to check it out here and let us know what you think 🪩🧡

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Our bookmarks from the week - good reads, listens, and general inspo from all around.

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