Why Doing More Doesn't Work—And What Does: The Formula For Fulfillment

Forbes

3 days ago

We've been told a story: that success—authentic, fulfilling, legacy-worthy success—comes from doing more. More hustle. More goals. More boards. More self-care. More impact. More everything.
But for many high-achieving leaders, that story is starting to fall apart.
In quiet moments—on the plane, before the Zoom room opens, late at night—there's often a quiet pulse: Is this it? Despite the accomplishments, there's a feeling of incompleteness. A missing 1%.
And here's what I've come to believe, after decades of working with purpose-driven leaders, building the Lead in 3D framework, and testing it in boardrooms and barns: Doing more—especially in one area—inevitably leads to diminishing returns.
Doing more of the 'right' thing can achieve a certain amount of success, but then it stops working.
But there's a powerful alternative. And it's the key to unlocking the formula for fulfillment.
Economists have long used farming to illustrate the concept of diminishing returns. Imagine a farmer with a fixed plot of land, a set amount of seed, and a labor force. Adding more land won't help if there aren't enough workers or seed to use it. Doubling the seed won't produce double the harvest if the land and labor stay the same. Eventually, pushing on just one lever flattens out—and the marginal benefit shrinks.
This isn't just economics—it's how many of us live and lead.
We go all in on one dimension:
Each of these is admirable. But when pursued alone, they eventually stall. They top out. And they often leave us burned out, disconnected, or quietly unsatisfied.
This is the diminishing returns trap. It's linear, fragile, and finite.
In the world of technology, we've embraced exponential growth. Moore's Law. AI processing speed. Digital integration. We accept that computing power doubles every 18–24 months, and that innovation feeds on itself.
But when it comes to our own growth—our fulfillment, our impact, our joy—we're still thinking in straight lines. We over-invest in one area and hope it will carry us all the way.
It won't.
You might have seen this more directly in your business: You hire a new salesperson—but don't increase your lead volume. No surprise, they don't drive revenue. More effort in one lane can't create exponential returns on its own.
Many high performers structure their lives like a monocrop—intensive, high-yielding, but vulnerable to disruption. A 3D-aligned leader builds a regenerative system, more like permaculture—diverse, resilient, and self-sustaining.
Authentic and sustainable success comes from as diverse a set of inputs as a healthy farm plot.
Here's the insight: When we invest across multiple aligned dimensions—what I call ME, WE, and WORLD—we don't just grow. We compound.
Leading in 3D means aligning your time, energy, and attention toward:
When all three are in motion, the returns don't just add up—they multiply. Clarity in your ME strengthens your leadership in WE. Meaning in your WORLD fuels your stamina. Boundaries in ME prevent burnout in WE. And so on.
This is the formula for fulfillment:Compounding returns = (ME + WE + WORLD) x Alignment
The more congruent your investments across these dimensions, the more momentum you generate—and the more exponential your results become.
The blue line shows the power of compounding growth that results from Leading in 3D, rather than the ... More diminishing returns of a one-dimensional approach.
This 3D approach to leadership aligns with research on intrinsic motivation—what Daniel Pink outlines in Drive as autonomy, mastery, and purpose. When we invest across all three, we don't just perform better. We live better, with sustainable fuel to persist, particularly through challenging times.
That quiet ache of 'Is this it?'—even at the height of outward success—isn't a failure of drive. It's usually a failure of balance.
I know because I've lived it.
In my earlier career, I spent nearly a decade in the nonprofit sector, pouring everything into WORLD. Every role brought me closer to the front lines—until I was embedded in a refugee community, doing work that felt meaningful and urgent. It was mission-driven. It was good.
But it was also unsustainable.
I was so focused on making a difference that I neglected WE—my closest relationships, a viable business model, the people who needed me outside the work. I neglected ME—my energy, my health, my own professional growth and personal joy.
The consequences were real: my first marriage ended. I missed my dad's funeral.
That's when I realized the truth: Even purpose, when pursued in isolation, can push us into the red.
The good news is, that ache—the missing 1%—is a signal. Not of failure, but of opportunity. It's an invitation to rebalance. To align. To lead in 3D.
So ask yourself:
If so, you're likely living in the diminishing returns curve.
The path forward isn't about pushing harder. It's about pulling your life back into alignment.
You don't need another productivity hack. You don't need another degree, another board seat, or another hour tacked onto your already-overflowing calendar.
What you need—what most high performers quietly crave—is alignment.
A formula for fulfillment that compounds, not just accumulates.
So here's your challenge:Stop asking, 'What more can I do?'
Start asking, 'Where am I underinvesting?'
Because that's where the missing 1% lives.
And when you shift from single-focus effort to integrated, intentional alignment—
That's when you stop burning fuel and start building fire.
That's the curve worth riding.
Align your Me, We, and World investments to find your wave to ride to fulfillment.