Alex Chediak

One of the defining stories of our civilization today is the decline of romantic love. It's often treated as a sentimental issue. I don't think it is. I think it's an existential one. It's easy to blame dating apps, social media, or changing cultural norms. But those may be symptoms rather than the underlying cause. The deeper question is this: What has changed in the way we understand love, commitment, and the purpose of sharing a life with another person? That's a conversation worth having more often.

If you are an overachiever, this is worth paying attention to: Many of the most successful people struggle with enjoyment. This is not a motivation problem. It is a structural one. High achievers tend to be very good at satisfaction, the joy that comes from achievement after struggle. Hitting goals. Overcoming obstacles. Moving the scoreboard. That reward system works, until it begins to crowd everything else out. When satisfaction becomes the primary source of reward, enjoyment slowly fades. Activities done for their own sake start to feel unproductive. If something does not advance a goal or register as progress, it feels like a waste of time. Over time, value shifts outward. Outcomes replace experience. This is why many people who are exceptionally good at building companies, careers, or wealth find it difficult to enjoy simple pleasures. Not because they lack the capacity for joy, but because their reward system has been trained to overlook it. A life organized entirely around achievement can succeed in many ways, and still feel joyless.