The Fortitude Chronicle: A Weekly Digest of Athletic Determination

Monday Momentum

For the Relentless Mind

Outcome Chasing vs. Identity Building: Why One Destroys You

I was working with an NFL executive who had everything they once dreamed of.

Corner office. Influence. Respect. The kind of access most people will never have.

And they felt empty.

"I thought it would feel different," they said. "I thought when I got here, I'd finally feel like I made it."

Here's what happened: They normalized their achievements without appreciating them.

Every rung you climb sets a new standard. And when you fall below that new standard—even slightly—you feel like a lesser version of yourself.

But here's the truth: At one point in your life, you dreamed of everything you currently have.

The version of you from five years ago would be in awe of where you are right now. But you've moved the goalpost so many times you can't even see how far you've come.

The Trap

One of the most dangerous tendencies in high performance is this: You hit the goal, feel good for 48 hours, then immediately look at what's next.

The achievement you once obsessed over becomes the new baseline. The dream becomes ordinary. The corner office that felt impossible now feels like the bare minimum.

This isn't ambition. This is outcome chasing. And outcome chasing is a disease that never stops.

Because outcomes don't last. The championship ends. The promotion fades. The recognition disappears.

And if your identity is built on outcomes, you disappear with them.

The Shift

Elite performers don't chase outcomes. They engineer identity.

They don't focus on winning. They focus on becoming someone worthy of winning.

Because when you focus on winning, you're at the mercy of circumstances you can't control—the refs, the opponent, the market, the luck.

But when you focus on becoming someone worthy of winning—someone who executes under pressure, who leads when it's hard, who shows up when no one's watching—that's yours. That can't be taken from you.

The athlete who chases championships is fragile. One loss and their identity shatters.

The athlete who becomes championship-caliber? They've already won. The trophy is just confirmation of who they've become.

The Question

I asked the executive: "Who did you have to become to get here?"

Silence.

Then: "Someone who could handle pressure. Someone people trusted. Someone who made hard decisions when it mattered."

"Exactly. That's the real achievement. Not the office. Not the title. The person you had to become to earn it".

Meaning will always outlast outcomes.

The championship ring collects dust. The promotion becomes normal. The award goes on a shelf.

But the person you became earning those things? That stays. That compounds. That's what actually builds a life worth living.

Zoom Out

When you feel like a lesser version of yourself, when you catch yourself thinking "I should be further along," stop.

Zoom out.

The kid who once simply wanted to play college ball would be stunned you made it to the NFL.

You've spent so long chasing the next thing that you forgot to honor how far you've come.

Don't allow ambition to result in outcome chasing. Allow ambition to drive the type of person you become in the process.

This week:

Write down three things you currently have that you once desperately wanted. Then ask: "Who did I have to become to earn these?" Not what you did. Who you became.

That's the real achievement. Not the outcome—the identity you built getting there.

Two Quotes

1. “The most important decision you make is to be in a good mood.” -

   Voltaire

2. Responsibility is the price of greatness. - Winston Churchill

Four Posts

To Building Fortitude.

 Best Regards,

Colin Jonov, Founder & CEO Athletic Fortitude