The Constant Restlessness You Feel Has a Name

How heroic individualism perpetuates impossible expectations, and what you can do about it

Even before the pandemic, people were feeling that their work was unsustainable. Many were on the edge of burnout, overwhelmed by the unrelenting frantic and frenetic energy of today’s world. A common experience was, and still is, a mix of fatigue and restlessness, nervousness and dread. It is helpful to have language for what this is, how it works, and what you can do about it. That’s what I’ll cover below — in two parts.

The Problem: Heroic Individualism

Heroic individualism is an ongoing game of oneupmanship against both self and others, where measurable achievement is the main arbiter of success and self-worth, and where productivity often gets prioritized over people. Regardless of how far you make it, heroic individualism always moves the goalpost 10 yards down the field. You never quite arrive.

Heroic individualism says that you will never have enough, be enough, or do enough. It is an endless gauntlet of more. While it may lead to decent short-term performance, long-term, it is a recipe for disaster. This is because long-term fulfillment depends upon things that are inherently inefficient and unproductive, at…