My mid-to-late 20s were a time in my life when I thought I was on the right path. I was told from a young age to do well in school, go to college, get a good job, and if you were lucky enough to make $100k+, you'd have made it.

So, I worked hard. Used my chemistry degree from CWRU to find work while I pursued a master's degree in athletic coaching (a true passion). Now, coaching didn't pay as much as working in science, so I ended up staying in science, as I saw it as the fastest way to reach $100,000+. 

I did it! I made it to my salary goal, and then...

I looked around at my life and realized something strange.
By every external measure—I had made it.

Good, stable, steady income.
Nice home.
Nice cars.
Credibility.
Respect.
The kind of “success” that younger me never truly thought possible.

And yet... there was this quiet, gnawing question in the background:

“Is this it?”

Not because I was ungrateful.
But because I was unfinished.
Because success had started to feel like a pri...