Okay, you have had a major goal, perhaps planning a wedding, a career goal, or buying a house, and you just achieved it! Congratulations! After the celebration, there is often a sense of “What’s next?”, a sense of letdown. The question is, what comes after success? This can be a significant challenge for many people.

If you are an athlete, and you finally conquered that time, that win, that challenge that you have been focusing on and putting all your time and energy into, what’s next? You have had career goals that you have striven for, that job, that income, that title, and you have finally made it; then what’s next? You had an image of being married, having children, and a house; you have them all now; what’s next?

Often, the first thing that happens after celebrating success is a letdown. All of the excitement is gone. There feels to be no goals. There is no focus. Now what? People can get depressed. Life can feel meaningless without the focus.

Acknowledge that what you feel is normal; it does not mean you are doing anything wrong. Many people talk about how, after they have achieved their goal, they enter into a slight depression. If it goes on for more than a couple of weeks, please reach out for professional help. After you have achieved that goal, there are some important things to do.

First, give yourself some well-deserved rest. You have been very focused for quite possibly a long time. It is more than okay to take time to recover.

Second, make a plan of what that recovery looks like, ensuring that good, healthy sleep and healthy food are part of that recovery! If you have not seen friends because of the goal that you just met, reconnect! That can also help to elevate your energy and mood again!

Okay, you have rested and recovered, and your mood is returning; now what?! Oh, that is easy: set a new goal! And, as always, enjoy the journey!