Stop Waiting to Feel Happy: The Mindset Shift Every Ambitious Person Needs | Jess Ekstrom - EP 796
7/21/202655 min
Have you ever reached a goal you worked incredibly hard for, only to find yourself asking, What's next? If you've ever believed that happiness, fulfillment, or peace would finally arrive after the next promotion, milestone, or accomplishment, this episode is for you.
John R. Miles sits down with bestselling author, entrepreneur, and keynote speaker Jess Ekstrom to explore why so many high achievers unknowingly postpone their happiness. Jess calls it the Arrival Trap—the belief that the life we want always exists somewhere in the future. Drawing on her own entrepreneurial journey and the ideas in her new book, Making It Without Losing It, she explains why fulfillment doesn't come from reaching the finish line but from changing how we experience the journey.
Together, John and Jess discuss why purpose is something we build rather than discover, how external achievement can quietly replace internal fulfillment, and why comparison often leads us to pursue goals that were never truly our own. They also explore the science of motivation, practical ways to reconnect with meaningful work, and a simple framework for determining whether you're chasing a dream because it reflects who you are—or because it looks good to everyone else.
In this episode, you'll learn why the "Arrival Trap" keeps people from enjoying their lives, how to create purpose in the work you're already doing, why intrinsic motivation is more sustainable than external validation, how to stop comparing your path to everyone else's, and practical ways to enjoy the present without giving up your ambition.
If you've been working hard but still feel like something is missing, this conversation will help you redefine success and discover how to pursue your goals without losing yourself in the process.
Learn more about today's guest: https://jessekstrom.com/
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSpeaker 10:00
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Speaker 20:28
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John Miles· Host1:06
Coming up next on Passion Struck.
Jess Ekstrom· Guest1:08
There was this interesting study at Vanderbilt that looked at dopamine. Dopamine is honestly the feeling that we're all chasing. It's the feel-good hormone, that happiness chemical that we get when we call a friend or eat a good piece of cake or something, and we're looking for that feeling. And this, the study at Vanderbilt thought that we got that dopamine hit at