You don't have to suffer from burnout and anxiety to achieve success.
You who want to kill two birds with one stone: success and happiness.
This book was written just for you!

"The Happy Achiever" is a book for people who outwardly display ambition and work hard to achieve success, but inwardly struggle with anxiety, stress, and burnout.
Achievement-oriented people feel proud of themselves for carrying heavy burdens without relying on others, and they tend to rush forward to overcome any obstacles.
Mary Anderson, a clinical psychologist with more than a decade of experience, calls this tendency an "epidemic," something she frequently sees in clients who come to her with achievement anxiety.

Achievement-oriented people are driven, determined, and smart, but they are also filled with self-doubt, fear, and anxiety.
Many people suffer from extreme fatigue, feeling that no matter how high their performance is, it is not enough.
Achievement-oriented people, plagued by uncertainty and ambiguity, feel overwhelmed by self-doubt and excessive schedules, and experience immense pressure to achieve big, ambitious goals.
Moreover, achievement-oriented people are afraid of failure and mistakes, and are anxious about exposing their incompetence, which makes them reluctant to ask for help from those around them.

So, can't achievement-oriented people be happy? This book presents key elements for overcoming the cognitive distortions that hinder and negatively impact the happiness of achievement-oriented people.
The author identifies the three cognitive distortions that plague achievement-oriented people—all-or-nothing thinking, jumping to conclusions, and the obsession with meeting specific standards—and offers a life attitude that allows you to overcome them and enjoy your accomplishments while living a happy life.
This book, which helps achievers avoid the traps they often fall into, will bring happiness instead of anxiety, especially to those with competitive achiever tendencies, which are particularly prevalent in our country.

If you are reading this book, you are probably an ambitious and hard-working person.
You may appear to be better than others on the outside, but inside you may be struggling with anxiety, stress, and exhaustion.
Perhaps, just maybe, even picking up this book might not have been easy.
Asking for help is not as easy as it sounds.
Because you are someone who feels proud of solving problems on your own without relying on others, no matter how heavy the load, and who is willing to overcome any obstacle and charge forward.
Perhaps your instinct to hide any imperfections, present a calming image, and please others in order to succeed is clashing with your inner need for help.
I understand.
I really understand.
--- p.6 From “Introductory Remarks”

I don't know what you think, but I want to tell you something.
Your anxiety is not the price you have to pay for success.
You can stay sharp and competitive while taking care of yourself and feeling good.
In fact, the better you feel, the more successful you will be in what you do.
You can achieve both happiness and great performance at the same time.
--- p.8 From “Introductory Remarks”

When I meet with my psychology friends, we often talk about how we seem to have a lot in common with the people sitting on the counseling couch.
It means that they and we were destined to meet.
I think it is because of that fate that you picked up this book.
You need help.
You chose this book because you really need help.
Well, now you are not alone.
You deserve to feel better.
--- p.13 From “Introductory Remarks”

The problem is that we want the only measure of success to be the absolute best.
When you feel like you have to not just do a good job and impress your boss, but also deliver flawless results that will leave them speechless.
Anything else is a failure.
Does this sound familiar?
--- p.46 From “Understanding the Troublesome Three Musketeers”

Unfortunately, the desire for approval from others inevitably breeds anxiety and insecurity.
This is where the mind's guess comes into play.
The truth is, no matter how badly we want to, we have no way of knowing what other people are thinking.
Yet, we assume that people will judge us negatively and react negatively accordingly.
The truth is, we are just judging ourselves, not others.
--- p.56 From “Understanding the Troublesome Three Musketeers”

Not everyone is the same.
Some people excel in their own way, some in a day, some in a year, some in a lifetime.
Let's define the 'equation of excellence' in a practical way so that everyone can understand it easily.
To summarize the whole concept simply:
Excellence = Happiness + Health + High Achievement
--- p.70.
From “Pursue excellence, not perfection”

Perfectionism feeds on the fear of failure and rejection, the fear of not meeting standards, and leads to feelings of inadequacy, inadequacy, and even shame.
Perfectionism prevents us from taking the necessary risks, moving forward, learning, and ultimately achieving excellence.
That's why I often tell my clients, "Perfectionism is the Achilles' heel of achievement seekers."
--- p.71 From “Pursue Excellence, Not Perfection”

There is no life without uncertainty.
While it would be incredibly convenient to be able to approach any given situation with complete certainty about every outcome, the reality is that no matter how much you plan and how diligently you try to eliminate unknowns, the real world is full of things you can't know.
The future is essentially unknown territory.
--- p.144 From “Overcoming Uncertainty with Curiosity”

A prime example of how this negativity bias affects our daily lives is the “Sunday scare.”
My high-achieving clients tell me that as Saturday turns to Sunday, their work anxiety starts to mount, and by the time the sun sets on the weekend, they're in a state of panic as to-do lists, deadlines, classes, and commutes all pile up.
--- p.146.
From “Crossing Uncertainty with Curiosity”

At first, it might seem self-aggrandizing to consciously savor that victory and take a moment to think, “Wow, I just reached this peak.”
Taking a breath of fresh air, sitting down, drinking water, and having a snack can all seem like it.
But really, these celebrations are about taking time to be thankful.
It is an act of pausing to acknowledge and actively express gratitude for having achieved the desired outcome.
--- p.303 From "Celebrate the Victory"

Especially when faced with obstacles or setbacks, even the most natural negative emotional experiences can feel like indicators that you are not achieving your "happiness goals."
Remember.
There is no one in the real world who is always happy like their Instagram photos.
A person who has such expectations is one who does not allow for the volatility of every day, or even every moment.
--- p.371 From “Enjoy a Lifetime of Excellence”

If you accept that you are valuable simply for existing, even if you are imperfect, you will spend less time worrying about what others think of you or the expectations of what you "should" do or what activities you "should" enjoy.

--- p.395 From "Your Guide to Implementing Your 8 Core Principles"