He wanted the top office
He believed the corner office on the hundredth floor was the most important workspace in the entire building. There was no logic behind the belief. To him though, it was the only real proof that he was important.
So he dedicated years to getting it. Endless applications, designs and strategic meetings held and close friends were confused. The moment he thought he'd reached it, he saw someone else walk in. The disappointment did nothing but fuel his perseverance.
Eventually he reached a limit. The floor was in his dreams but he had to eventually face it, he was never getting that to that office.
That's when it gets really bad.
He picked up his bags, stared at the building one last time and started talking. There was nothing in the high office. The view was terrible, he was sure the building had serious problems.
Deep down, he didn't believe any of this. He said it not because he believes it, but because the thought of him actually wanting the office and never getting it was too much.
People around, his friends and loved ones did not grieve the loss. This is what people do when their ambition runs into a wall. They rewrite their desires into something more realistic as we call it. They turn the unreachable into something with flaws, or something foolish, something they are too wise to want.
But this man was the one who never changed. The only thing he still desired was the office which meant to him that he mattered. He just flipped the narrative to convince himself he didn't lose.
He just chose to stop being honest about his desired destination. This is someone who couldn't cope with failure and packaged it as new clarity to himself.