The Hardest Lesson I’ve Ever Learned

If you’ve ever had everything on the outside look perfect—success, recognition, the “dream life”—but felt completely lost on the inside, this one’s for you.

I’ve been there.

A few years ago, I was running multiple businesses, surrounded by people who believed in me, hitting financial goals I’d once only dreamed of. By every external measure, I was “winning.”

But internally?

I was empty. Unfulfilled. Completely disconnected from myself.

At the time, I thought the answer was to work harder. Achieve more. Keep pushing. But no matter how much I accomplished, that emptiness stayed.

It wasn’t until everything came crashing down—my business, my relationships, even my sense of self—that I realised the truth:

I wasn’t chasing success; I was running from myself.

When I hit rock bottom, I was forced to face some tough questions:

• Why wasn’t I happy, even when I had “everything”?

• Why did I avoid silence, stillness, and self-reflection?

• What was I so afraid to confront within myself?

Those questions weren’t easy to answer. But as I started digging deeper, I realised that my emptiness didn’t come from a lack of external success—it came from a lack of internal connection.

I had built a life that looked great on the outside but was hollow on the inside.

There was one moment that changed everything for me.

I came across a letter I had written to myself 10 years earlier. It was a vision of the life I wanted:

“You will be happy. You will be bright. You will love yourself deeply, without doubt. You will share that love with the world, and everyone around you will shine in your light. Success is what accompanies this.”

Because in that moment, I realised I wasn’t living the life I had written about. I was chasing achievements instead of building a foundation within myself.

That realisation hurt—but it was also the start of something new.

Here’s the hardest but most important lesson I’ve learned:

You can’t fix what’s inside by chasing what’s outside.

• Success won’t fill the gaps within you.

• Validation won’t quiet your insecurities.

• Love from others won’t replace the love you need to have for yourself.

The real work starts within.

I talked about this more in-depth in the first episode of my podcast, Lesson Learned. It’s raw, honest, and a bit uncomfortable to share—but I wanted to start this journey with the truth. Release will be next Sunday.

Because the truth is, we all struggle. We all fail. And sometimes, we all feel lost.

If you’re in that place right now, I hope my story shows you that it’s okay. It’s okay to feel stuck. It’s okay to not have it all figured out.

But it’s also okay to take the first step toward something better.

I’ll leave you with this:

The most important relationship you’ll ever have is the one with yourself. When you take the time to understand, love, and reconnect with who you are, everything else in your life becomes clearer.

Take a moment this week to pause, reflect, and reconnect with yourself. Ask: Am I building a life that feels good on the inside—or just one that looks good on the outside?

It’s a tough question, but trust me—it’s worth asking.

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If this email resonated with you, I think you’ll enjoy my podcast, Lesson Learned. In Chapter 1, I dive deeper into the raw, unfiltered story of how I rebuilt after losing everything—my business, relationships, and sense of self.

It’s about finding clarity in the chaos and learning that success begins from within.

You will receive the link to the episode when it is published.

Thank you for reading, and I’ll catch you next week.

Cheers,
Markus