Manisha Thakor was a self-acknowledged overachiever. From an early age she sought the validation of her teachers, and later, as she entered the working world, she strove for the approval of bosses. An Ivy League-educated financial analyst, she worked more hours than anyone else in her office, competed for the highest bonus, and often chose work over relationships. As she recounts in her book MoneyZen, she had moments of clarity when she tried to break free from her obsession with achieving more. But for many years she simply couldn’t.
A version of this article appeared in the November–December 2023 issue of Harvard Business Review.