I’ve been thinking about Achilles lately.
In The Iliad, he finally kills Hector. That’s the moment he’s waited for. He avenges the death of his brother, Patroclus. His honor is restored. His enemy is gone. By every external measure, he’s won.
And instead of finding peace, he spirals.
He drags Hector’s body around the city walls. Over and over. The rage doesn’t leave him. It just has nowhere to go anymore. The fight is over, but whatever was driving him hasn’t been dealt with.
I’ve noticed something similar in real life. A lot of high performers expect the win to calm them down. The deal closes. The number hits. The season ends. And instead of relief, there’s restlessness. Irritability. A strange emotional flatness they didn’t plan for.
What I’ve learned is this. Winning removes the enemy, but it also removes the excuse. When the fight is gone, you’re left alone with whatever fuel you were running on the whole time. Anger, proving energy, resentment, fear. Those things can get you through a war, but they’re terrible things to build a life on.
Achilles didn’t spiral because he lost. He continued raging about because he won and didn’t know who he was supposed to be next.
The lesson for me has been simple. Don’t just ask what you’re fighting for. Ask who you’re becoming when the fight is over. Because sooner or later, the war quiets down. And you still have to live there.
But for those of us built for war, channel it.
And perhaps people will continue to tell legends about you like Achilles.