He truly believed he was “on the right path.”
Eight hours a day in an open-space office,
headphones on, soaking in motivational podcasts as if they were oxygen.
He smiled during breaks.
Brought his healthy salad.
Made light jokes so no one would worry.
But his eyes…
his eyes looked like a screen gone blank.
Like the light inside had quietly checked out hours ago.
He wasn’t growing.
He wasn’t evolving.
He was surviving a life that didn’t belong to him.
And the painful part?
He thought this was what self-improvement looked like—
working harder, thinking positive, pushing through.
But there’s a difference between becoming yourself
and becoming who you think you should be.
Most people don’t notice the difference.
He didn’t either.
He kept polishing the version of himself he’d been taught to admire,
while the real him sat quietly in the background,
waiting for him to feel the mismatch.
Sometimes the most dangerous prison
is the one decorated with books, podcasts, routines,
and “good habits.”
A prison where you keep trying to fix yourself
instead of listening to yourself.
Because no amount of motivation
can energize a life that isn’t yours.
But the moment you start living in a way that actually fits you—
your energy changes.
Your decisions change.
Your eyes come back to life.
That’s what real growth looks like:
not forcing a path,
but finally choosing the one that feels like home.
⁉️ Where are you trying to “improve” yourself instead of actually listening to yourself? DM me.
♻️ Share to help evolve how we stop faking our lives.
