What to do after you’ve done it?

“I used to wake up with a dream every morning: to become the lord of an empire. Now that I’ve achieved my goal, I have no dreams left. I have nothing to do. I find myself most useless. Had I still been on my journey to success, perhaps my life would be filled with thrill and excitement right now. Alas! I sit in my luxury car, wearing an expensive suit. But the pain of not having anything to achieve still pricks my heart. Just as a beautiful rose has also its thorns, so also my success comes with a price. Now I live only because I’m alive…”

-anonymous

What you read above is an excerpt from the thoughts of a man who once lived on the edge because he had his dreams and goals to achieve. But, with aggressive passion, he broke every barrier and achieved his goals, one after the other. The consequence? – he achieved everything he wanted to. Now he had nothing more to work for. That made him feel useless and so confined within the walls of his own success.

Many of us find ourselves at the same pedestal as the man above. You wanted to do it. You did it. Now what do you do? What happens to those who have nothing more to achieve? While struggling for success you can feel your heart pumping with emotion and thrill. The desire to achieve feels so strong it fills your mind with so many things to do that even 24 hours feel less.

But once you’ve crossed all milestones and established your flag upon that mountain of victory, a certain emptiness replaces all prior feelings in your heart. For a moment you feel like a champion, you feel the burden of expectations lighten, but then you feel the void. There is no more desire, no more thrill, the pride of achievement serves no purpose anymore. And it is in these depths of your feelings that your mind asks you-

“what now?”

Fortunately, the last as well as the current generation has seen such men and women of marvellous accomplishments defeat these depths and climb out of that infinite void only to find a new goal, a new journey and new comrades. I’ve compiled a few of their thoughts below:

1. Once you’ve done it, help someone else do it.

Achieving a milestone in your life gives you respect, money (perhaps) and adds credibility to you as a mentor. You could use that to help people who are yet to achieve something substantial. Your experience and advice could change the lives of many, or still better it may shape the lives of many. That multiplies your contribution to this world manifold and ensures that the regular supply of quality and talented individuals does not dwindle. After all, each one of us must give back to society, in one way or the other, what society has given to us.

2. Once you’ve done it, do it again.

What’s the best part about playing a sport? Take football for instance, some avid football fans play the game every day. What makes them play this sport over and over again? – Uniqueness. Yes, the uniqueness of each game is what adds to the thrill and keeps the sport exciting infinitely. No two games are played the same way and each game adds to the skill of the player. Newer strategies, newer tactics and new experiences make this an infinite loop where self-development is guaranteed. The same applies to every accomplishment in your life. Go ahead and do it again, a little differently, this time with a little more passion and whole lot of expertise.

3. Once you’ve done it, do something new

As one journey ends, so another journey begins. Find something else to do. There are so many opportunities in the world today. So much to explore, so much to see and much more to believe. Set another target, preferably something that’s not related to your previous achievement. Add experience to your years, not years to your experience. Quite simply put, be diverse in selecting your targets. If you’ve been a hunter, now try being a veterinary. Anything is possible to an open mind. Just let your imagination loose, keep your senses opened and your new target will find you.

4. Once you’ve done it, write about it

Authoring books based on your work and experience on your journey to success seems to be an all-time formula. Not only do you get to express your mind but you also get to tell the world about the things they never know about you and your journey. If there’s any way to clear out what the bystanders have dared to speak against you, then this is it. While still in the struggling period, what you speak will not matter and what matters will not be acknowledged. But, once you’ve achieved success, people will be more than willing to lend a ear to you. They will be most interested in what you have to say and it is the right time to capitalize on the opportunity.

There’s no reason to live a meaningless life once you’ve achieved all you want. Go explore the world, help someone, create something new, there are a whole lot of opportunities just waiting for you to grab them. So it’s not the end of the world, and definitely not the end of your story. Perhaps it’s just the end of a journey, and as they say, where one journey ends, another journey begins.