Don't Settle For 'Successful Enough' How to redefine personal prosperity and court the discomfort that leads to largesse.

Every career is a mix of comfort and struggle, complacency and striving. In a recent Gallup study, only 33% of U.S. employees reported being engaged at work. As "quiet quitting" becomes less of a buzzword and more of a recognized reality, it's no surprise that employees are settling to do just enough in their jobs. Too much striving, and you burn yourself out, along with everyone around you. Too much comfort, and you end up "successful enough," the ultimate slight for the driven person, the participation trophy for a life's work.

If you expect to have a significant impact, expect some struggles. Per Michele Borba, a psychologist and author of her recent book Thrivers: The Surprising Reasons Why Some Kids Struggle and Others Shine: "Thrivers are made, not born."

Our desire for comfort keeps us from doing what's needed to realize our vision. I played it safe and did what was expected, revealing little, pleasing people and avoiding risk at all costs. I learned these traits as a struggling teenager in order to cope in an unstable home. Life was hard enough and failure clearly was an option all around me, so I never gambled on making it more likely.