You Can’t Grind Your Way Into Joy — Beneath The Surface
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We’ve been taught to sacrifice joy now in hopes of earning it later. But what if that entire model is broken? In this episode of Beneath the Surface*, we explore one of the most important truths about performance, presence, and fulfillment: 👉 You don’t train joy by training stress. 👉 You don’t arrive at peace by living in tension. 👉 The nervous system doesn’t wait for success to feel safe — it adapts to what you repeat. So if you're constantly grinding now, hoping for joy “someday,” your system is only learning one thing: how to live in stress. And that becomes your baseline — even when you reach your goals. This isn’t about abandoning ambition. It’s about refusing to abandon yourself* in pursuit of it. Through insights from neuroscience, performance psychology, spiritual teachers, and real-world examples, we unpack the hidden cost of over-efforting — and why that cost is often your very identity. This is an episode for high-performers, creators, athletes, and anyone who’s ever felt like success is costing them their presence. Connect with Sean: 👉 Explore Sean’s writing, books, and executive coaching at whatgotyouthere.com) 📩 Drop a message, share your thoughts, or connect directly [email protected])  📤 Love the episode? Send it to a friend who needs it or share it on social  https://x.com/SeanDeLaney23) https://www.instagram.com/itsseandelaney/) https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-delaney-00909190/)