What If Success Is the Problem?

Hello and welcome to my second blog entry 🤍

Right now, I’m in the big city—New York—lying in bed in my Airbnb. The room is surrounded by windows, and I’m wrapped in the most beautiful view of tall buildings and endless lights. It’s one of those moments where you just pause and take it all in. I feel so grateful. So inspired.

There’s something about this city I can’t fully explain. The energy, the movement, the constant hustle… and yet, somehow, I feel calm here. At ease. At peace. Almost like I’m home.

But I’m also aware that this feeling might be a little illusion—because I’m on holiday.

This past month has taught me something I wish I had understood over the last seven years of constantly pushing, working, and hustling. Something deeply important that we tend to forget:

For the past year, I’ve been struggling. Feeling emotionally dull. Unmotivated. Unhappy.

And it’s not because I’m not grateful—I truly am. I love my life. I’ve built things I once dreamed of. But still… I haven’t felt like myself.

Most people know me as someone disciplined. Strong. A force.

Someone who works hard, no matter what. And for a long time, that identity fueled me. It even inspired others.

But something changed.

I feel like I’ve lost that force.

Some people would call it burnout. I don’t love that word—it makes me feel weak—but for the sake of honesty… maybe that’s what it is.

The strange thing is: burnout doesn’t look the way people think it does.

I still function. I still show up. I still run my business—because who else is going to pay my salary?

But everything feels… dull.

Like I’m doing things out of necessity, not passion.

And I felt it the most in dance.

Dance used to be where I felt everything—so deeply, so intensely. That was my why. But here in New York, I noticed something immediately: 95% of the classes didn’t make me feel anything.

And that scared me.

So if you’ve ever felt this way—in life, in your passion, in something you once loved—I want you to know: I understand. And maybe this will help you too.

The first two weeks here were hard.

I cried a lot. I told myself I wasn’t enough. Over and over again.

And then… I decided to try something completely different. Something I hadn’t allowed myself in years:

-I rested

-I did only what I felt like doing

*-I talked honestly with my closest friend and admitted my weakness (which is very hard for me… even writing this feels vulnerable)

For one full week, I slowed down completely.

I stayed in bed until 1pm. Did nothing. Slept. Yes—even scrolled on social media… but this time without guilt.

When I felt like getting up, I did. Maybe I ate something. Maybe I didn’t.

Then I followed whatever my body and heart wanted.

Some days I went for walks.

Some days I went shopping.

Some days I painted.

Sometimes I took a dance class.

But the difference was: I listened. Closely.

After a week, I slowly added the basics back in—eating enough, drinking enough.

And honestly? Even that felt overwhelming at first.

Can you imagine?

Something as simple as eating regularly felt like pressure.

I remember thinking, “Wow… I’m deeper in this than I thought.”

But then… something shifted.

After about a week and a half, I started to feel energy again.

I woke up at 9am. Got out of bed by 10am—which was a huge change from 1pm.

I wanted to do things again.

Go to the gym. Cook a nice meal. Move my body.

I felt motivation returning.

I felt passion coming back.

And then… I made a mistake.

I started planning everything again.

Setting goals. Structuring my weeks.

And just like that—

the next day, I was back at zero.

That moment made me question everything.

What is it with this constant pressure to "be someone", "achieve something", "hustle all the time"?

Where is the actual living?

When did simply enjoying life—breathing, resting, following what feels good—become something we feel guilty about?

As kids, that’s all we did.

We played. We rested. We followed joy.

So when did that change?

Why do we feel bad for slowing down?

And of course, the question came up:

"What is the meaning of life?"

I thought about animals. They simply live—and then they die. But in between, they are present. They are at peace i believe and all the pets are beeing praised for this.

And us?

We work. We stress. We chase.

And then we die.

But are we truly happy?

Or are we constantly running after something we can never fully reach?

I think… the meaning of life is inner peace.

Not success.

Not fame.

Not validation.

Just inner peace.

Being happy with your life.

Doing what feels right for you.

And yet, that’s so hard in a world where we constantly feel watched, judged, compared.

A world that whispers: "you’re not doing enough."

Social media. Expectations. The pressure to be more, do more, show more.

It’s so easy to get lost in it.

So here is what I’ve finally understood—and what I want you to really hear:

YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE SUCCESSFUL TO FIND INNER PEACE

YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE FAMOUS TO BE SUCCESSFUL

You don’t have to do anything just to meet society’s expectations.

And I mean that deeply.

If you’re not happy, none of it matters.

And the truth is—people don’t really care as much as we think they do.

Not in a negative way. Just… everyone is busy with their own lives, their own struggles.

No one truly cares if you become a lawyer or a doctor.

No one truly cares if you hustle yourself into exhaustion to become rich.

No one truly cares how many followers you have.

So don’t live your life based on pressure.

It is okay to slow down.

It is okay to rest.

It is okay to do nothing.

As long as you find peace within yourself.

And it’s also okay if you do want to hustle—if that truly fulfills you.

There is no right or wrong way to live.

But somewhere along the way, many of us forgot what we actually want.

I know I did.

So now, I’m choosing something different.

I’m choosing to chase that feeling I had during that slow week.

That softness. That peace. That quiet happiness.

And I hope, truly, that you allow yourself to find that too.

To redefine what success really means—for YOU

I hope this resonates with whoever is reading this.

And I would love to hear your thoughts 🤍 There is a comment section bellow that you can use.

Even if this isn’t what you expected from my time in New York… I don’t mind.

Because this felt right.

With so much love and peace,

Ifunanya