Are you an achievement addict? It’s hard not to be one in a culture obsessed with success. From a young age, we teach our children to believe that success is a product of hard work and effort. That’s true, and yet by the time students finish school, they fear that the ATAR sums up their worth as people, not just their schooling success. Moreover, we’re quick to ask people what they do for a living, which suggests that much of our identity derives from our achievements. If we can no longer work because of life circumstances - or a pandemic - the achievement-oriented identity can be deeply challenged. This 7-part Daily Bible series samples biblical wisdom to help us break the habit when it comes to our collective addiction to achievement.
Author: Dr Justine Toh
Dr Justine Toh is Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Public Christianity where she speaks and writes about the Christian faith. Justine has a PhD in Cultural Studies from Macquarie University in Sydney and tweets, erratically, at @justinetoh. These devotions draw in parts on her new book 'Achievement Addiction'.