Remember when you were a kid and the only thing you wanted to be was… bigger? I’m not talking astronaut or firefighter. Just bigger. And we chased it. We got the bigger paychecks, the bigger titles, the bigger corner office. We were on a success high, living in the penthouse of our careers. But then the wrong things started getting bigger. Next level overwhelm. Next level blood pressure. Next level waistline. Suddenly you’re looking in the mirror asking, “Whose belt is this?” and realizing the next level ain’t looking so sexy anymore.
That’s the trap, right? We get so focused on chasing bigger that we forget to ask if we’re getting better. We build these empty penthouses of achievement—bigger teams, bigger numbers, bigger market share—and then wonder why we feel so hollow. As a Grammy Nominated Spoken Word Artist, I’ve learned that the most powerful spoken word poetry doesn’t just chronicle growth; it questions it. The real progress isn’t in the size of the building, but in the strength of its foundation. It’s in becoming wiser, healthier, and more humanly connected. The world’s best and most inspirational leaders I meet are swapping their blueprints for bigger buildings for blueprints for better people.
So maybe the next next level isn’t another floor up. Maybe it’s about learning to actually live on the floor you’re on. Instead of chasing a bigger title, you chase a deeper connection. Instead of a bigger team, you build a stronger one. This is the work I get to do as a motivational poet and Vanguard Artist—helping people see that the best view isn’t always from the highest floor. After all, what’s the point of reaching the penthouse if you’re too burnt out to enjoy the sunrise? That ain’t a success high, my friends. That’s just high-altitude exhaustion. And nobody’s got time for that.
