Steiger’s Substack

Steiger’s Substack

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Steiger’s Substack
Steiger’s Substack
The Ache to Be Special

The Ache to Be Special

We don’t chase greatness because we’re greedy. We chase it because somewhere along the line, we thought it might save us.

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Steiger Neils Bryke
Jun 22, 2025
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Steiger’s Substack
Steiger’s Substack
The Ache to Be Special
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Nut Graf

Most of us won’t say it out loud, but beneath career goals, fitness routines, and constant notifications, there's a quiet ache: wanting to matter. To feel like if we disappeared, someone would notice.

Some of us learned love had conditions—gold stars, perfect grades, being funny, charismatic or sporty. So we performed, not to impress but to avoid…

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