When this happens to me, I say to myself, "well, what do you expect from an addict?"
Sometimes I chuckle, "well, there I go again, still chasing!". And my pride goes back where it came. And it feels a lot better.
As long as I don't act out, lusting after a higher madreiga or "accomplishment" in life - even spiritual - is something I lost my license for when I first began trying to turn my life over to Hashem. It's purely His business, now, not mine.