The Second After a Dream Becomes a Reality - What Happens After You Achieve Your Goals?

Suddenly, it seems that the thing you worked so hard for doesn't seem to matter much to you now. If you could do it, it probably was not that hard to achieve anyways.

‘Usually before a dream becomes reality, we tend to think we’ll wish for nothing else if only the dream is realised. Imagine how you’d feel if you always remembered that your dream has already been fulfilled. Everything that comes after would be like a lovely bonus. When you feel envious of something, try to imagine how you would look to your twenty-year-old self.’

— I want to die but I want to eat tteokbokki, Baek Se-Hee

How I keep my dreams sacred: My own superstitions to ward off the possibility of things not realising

The first 4 months of 2026 have actually been quite amazing, but this feels like something I shouldn’t say out loud. This is probably because of my Malaysian Chinese upbringing—I can feel it creeping up on me as I write this, the superstition of ‘being pantang’. What is ‘pantang’ you might ask? It basically means to jinx something, or in a more Americanised-spiritual guru-manifestation way of saying it: ‘Evil eye is real. Don’t give people a chance to give you their negative energy. Work in silence and NEVER tell anyone your big plans - show them.’ If I say I am doing well today, I might jinx myself tomorrow. It is a way of protecting myself and my dreams if things don’t end up working out.

Moving from one dream to another dream & difficulty in accepting a chapter is over

Looking back, I genuinely am the happiest I’ve been in a long time. In fact, I am probably happier now compared to when I first graduated from university which was end of 2024. Back then, I actually felt compelled to be happy rather than actually being happy. ‘Okay, I graduated from a prestigious university, thoroughly enjoyed my university days, travelled Europe, made lots of great friends and memories….’ and the list went on and on. However, it was difficult for me to be motivated let alone excited for the future because I assumed that my best days were already behind me. Time felt like sand running through my fingers - how can you thoroughly enjoy something when you are aware it is already ending?

This is not to say I was not grateful for having a wonderful university experience, but because so much of my identity was tied to being a student I had a lot of trouble accepting that this part of me has inevitably come to an end. How do you go about from one peak of your life to another peak of your life? Would I ever peak again?

Now it seems quite ridiculous I had all these thoughts at the ripe age of 22, but that was the reality of what I was struggling with. Being 24 now, I am quite in awe of how I managed to do everything I did during my late teens to super early 20s that I probably wasn’t even aware I was doing a good job back then i.e. managing my finances, living independently, studying etc. As one would say looking back: ‘I felt like I was just a baby.’

Maybe that was my first real encounter with what happens after a dream ends.

The endearing feeling of finally growing into your own skin

If you haven’t already known, it is no surprise that I struggle with being overly critical with myself. Not in a ‘Oh look at me the poor overachiever my weakness is being a perfectionist’ type of way, but in a ‘This is actually not funny, I have a problem’ type of way. I hold my past selves in parts and have trouble accepting that that was me, X amount of years ago. But recently, I noticed myself smiling tenderly at a notification that popped up from my Google Photos ‘2 years ago…’ as I was clicking and clacking away in front of my company monitor’s keyboard.

I no longer feel sad or afraid that it is over or that my ‘best years are behind me’. I look at those memories fondly and endearingly with no other distracting emotions. As we know, extreme opposites of emotions tend to go hand in hand - happiness and sadness, excitement and nervousness. Those were one of the few moments of growth I actually can attest to feeling in my whole life, quietly yet affirmatively.

Before a dream becomes reality, we convince ourselves that everything will fall into place once we achieve it. But what actually happens after?

Recently, I’ve seen a lot of discourse on being greedy. How billionaires never fail to stop, how influencers would milk the crap out of their weddings or how people who hit a certain salary band that is higher than most, but still turn their nose up and say: this is not enough, I deserve something better. Everyone everywhere seems to always want more, more and more.

Now, although I am nowhere near billionaire status or close to throwing a glamorous wedding, as one does - I thought about myself, my previous aspirations and dreams vs. my current progress. Was I any different? Is it enough? Am I contented? What were my dreams like a few years ago? And upon inspection, I’m not very different from everyone.

From the late author Baek Se-Hee’s ‘I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki’, I would like to highlight one of her conversations with her therapist:

‘Usually before a dream becomes reality, we tend to think we’ll wish for nothing else if only the dream is realised. Imagine how you’d feel if you always remembered that your dream has already been fulfilled. Everything that comes after would be like a lovely bonus. When you feel envious of something, try to imagine how you would look to your twenty-year-old self.

You could call it wishful thinking, positive manifestation or simply being optimistic - but say you assume that your dream will be fulfilled in the future and everything you are doing now will eventually pay off, would you be happier? Once a dream is fulfilled, how long does it take before we eventually move onto the next milestone?

I decided to test this theory multiple times. First, was when I was close to hitting 10k followers on instagram. I held my breath as I was so close to passing the finish line. Was it magical when I saw the follower count go from 9,999 to 10,000? Yes, it was. It was so empowering and exhilarating to yell — ‘I did it!’. But I kid you not, that feeling probably lasted for an hour max. After that, I started worrying if I could sustain this, how humiliating it would be if I could not, what about my future content strategy? How could we upscale this?

The other time was when I was close to getting the job offer I worked so hard to get. I had gone through multiple interview sessions and case studies and finally completed my last interview. The days leading up to the call was tormenting but oddly exciting, because part of me knew that I would get it. But of course, I was afraid to jinx myself. I wrote in my journal: ‘By the 12th of April 2025, I would have gotten the job’, praying and manifesting by whatever means possible. When the offer finally came in, it was a similar experience. I was happy, but ridden with worries. All the build-up of anticipation dissipated into thin air like it was being sucked into an unknown vacuum — because your dream has now manifested into excruciating realness.

It may be easier to chase one’s dreams rather than sustain it

There is a phrase in chinese: ‘打江山容易 守江山难’. Though debatable, in this context, it may be easier to chase one’s dreams rather than sustain it. This could be a plausible explanation as to why the second we achieve something we’ve long yearned for, we end up resenting it. If you could do it, it probably was not that hard to achieve anyways. So, what’s the big fuss in appreciating something that is already meant for your posession?

At the end of the day, if you assume that your dream has already been fulfilled, everything that comes after would be like a lovely bonus.

等待是很痛苦的 (waiting for something is a painful feeling), if you are constantly waiting for something, you will never truly be able to enjoy where you are in the present. I know one thing for sure, regardless if we are indeed destined for the outcome we desire, we would definitely look back and wish we enjoyed ourselves a little more. The problem isn’t that we want too much. It’s that we think of dreams as one-dimensional. We’re more in love with the idea of a dream.

But with dreams come responsibilities and challenges. The big ‘dream’ is merely the curtain that frames the main act. Once unveiled, we see it in its true form. Hence we must distinguish what this dream means to us — and if nobody saw you achieving this dream, would you still want it? Do you still want your dream with all its strings attached?

I honestly don’t have the answer yet, but I’m starting to understand that getting what you want isn’t the end of anything—it’s just the beginning of learning how to live with it.

P.S. This letter came a little late than expected, because I was busy enjoying all the festivities from CNY to hari raya. I also went to Japan which you can see on my socials @lxyen_

Stay safe and see you guys soon. Drop a message or a comment below if you can relate to this piece <3