Hey Reader,
Ever catch yourself fantasizing about disappearing for a bit?
Just logging off, getting on a plane, or turning your phone off?
It’s not burnout.
It’s something deeper.
Most people try to escape when their lives feel like a prison they’ve built themselves.
Today, we’ll uncover why so many high performers feel trapped in their own success, and how to design a life that feels more like home.
🗯️ The ballerina who quit the spotlight
Mikhail Baryshnikov, one of the greatest ballet dancers of all time, had a crisis at the height of his fame.
He was the star of the American Ballet Theatre, earning standing ovations every night. But backstage, he was miserable.
The grueling rehearsals, the pressure to be perfect, the endless tours all felt like a script he didn’t write.
One day, he shocked the world when he walked away from ballet to join a modern dance company.
Critics called it career suicide. But Baryshnikov said: “I didn’t leave ballet. I left the prison I built inside it.”
Turns out, even icons hit a point where success stops feeling like success.
The modern dance world gave him something ballet couldn’t: creative control, experimental freedom, and work that left him energized rather than exhausted.
He went on to pioneer groundbreaking performances that redefined dance for a generation.
🧠 You’re not tired, you’re misaligned
Most high performers aren’t burnt out, they’re just misaligned.
You make decisions out of fear of failure.
You accept things based on external validation.
You’ve subconsciously formed the habit of meeting someone else’s expectations.
You forget why you even set out on your goal in the first place.
You’re accepting almost every opportunity that comes your way because, well… “it’s business.”
Now you’re numbing the discomfort with more work, more wins… but the emptiness keeps growing.
Then one day, you wake up and realize you’ve built a life that you’re constantly trying to escape from.
You don’t hate it. You’re just not at home in it.
You’re now running on autopilot. You feel bored, drained, and unsupported.
You just want to take a vacation or a getaway to get as far away from all the drama.
Of course, self-doubt creeps in. You sometimes feel like you’re losing your mind.
Because when your life is built around proving yourself, you’ll keep trying to earn peace through performance.
And that never ends.
It’s more like a cry for help from a really successful life that’s become too heavy to carry.
Isn’t that ironic?
❤️ What if you loved your Mondays more?
What kind of life would you love to wake up to even if no one else was watching?
When you prioritize the passions, relationships, and activities that bring you joy, you start making decisions from a place of abundance, not fear.
You stop outsourcing meaning to societal standards.
You’re not pretending to be okay. You’re purely aligned with who you are and what you want.
You’re letting go of obligations that don’t serve you.
You feel the confidence of living in sync with your true self, not the version of you that’s performing for others.
You’re saying no to obligations that drain you and permitting yourself to rest without guilt.
You attract genuine connections because people are drawn to your clarity, passion, and unshakable sense of purpose.
And trust me, once your success feels like home, nothing else matters.
🤲 How to build a life that doesn’t need escaping
If the life you built doesn’t feel like home anymore, try practicing one of these:
- Ask the $0 question. Forget revenue for a second. Forget optics. Ask: “If no one could see me win, what would I build anyway?” If your answer feels far from your current life, you’re overdue for a shift.
- Don’t make every “yes” a lifetime subscription. Too many smart people stay stuck because they feel guilty quitting something they’ve outgrown. Treat commitments like leases, not mortgages. You can walk away without burning it all down.
- Stop outsourcing joy to weekends or vacations: Joy isn’t something you look forward to. You can feel it in micro-moments daily. Coffee outside. 10 minutes of silence. One conversation that doesn’t involve solving a problem. Make joy a standard, not a reward.
- Fall in love with saying no: High achievers often say yes to everything because they’re wired to seize opportunities. Learn to say no to the wrong goals. Saves you lots of stress and headaches in the long run. The energy drain is really not worth it.
That’s how you can course correct without blowing everything up.
🎯 Does your success feel like home to you?
What’s one thing you’re tolerating in your life that’s making you fantasize about escape?
What parts of your life feel real?
What parts feel like an act?
It’s about time you let go of all that weight.
Don’t make a prison out of this great success you’ve built.
Choose freedom, clarity, and peace.
As Steve Jobs once said, “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to do great work is to love what you do.”
Now, go create a life you don’t need a vacation from.
With appreciation,
Huw
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Huw Edwards
Founder & CEO, h3.xyz
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