Is This It?

You worked for years. You sacrificed weekends, relationships, sleep. You played the game exactly right. And then you finally got the promotion, closed the deal, hit the milestone—and felt... nothing. If you've ever achieved exactly what you wanted and felt hollow instead of whole, you're not broken. You're not ungrateful. You're experiencing what psychologists call the "arrival fallacy"—and nobody warned you it was coming. Is This It? is the book for high-achievers who followed the script perfectly and discovered the script was wrong. Written by James Mercer, a former McKinsey consultant who walked away from a senior position after realizing success had left him exhausted, divorced, and completely disconnected from his own life, this book reveals why achievement can't deliver the lasting satisfaction we were promised—and what actually can. Inside, you'll discover: Why your brain is literally wired to feel the crash after the win (it's neuroscience, not weakness) The "Five Whys" technique to uncover what you're really chasing beneath your goals How to shift from destination-thinking to direction-thinking without abandoning ambition The difference between goals (which end) and values (which sustain) Why engagement during the journey matters more than arrival at the destination A practical playbook for before, during, and after achievement This isn't another book telling you to stop achieving or embrace mediocrity. You're still going to set goals, push yourself, and build things that matter. But you'll hold them differently—as experiments rather than identities, as markers on a journey rather than destinations that will save you. The paradox is real: achievers who hold goals lightly often achieve more. When your identity doesn't depend on the next win, you make better decisions, take smarter risks, and produce better work. Stop waiting for the next achievement to finally feel enough. The life you want is available now—it just requires a different relationship with success.