The Overachievers’ Dimension
Every man jack strives for success, some people work harder than others while some work smarter and most times, the expected outcome is achieving the ultimate goal. Overachievers are the people who “perform better or achieve more success than expected”. Most times they get so trapped in the success bubble that they cringe at the thought of failure.
Am I an overachiever?
An overachiever is a person whose performance disproportionately exceeds ability; academically a student whose academic achievement disproportionately exceeds his or her performance on standardized intelligence tests
When can I tell that the overachiever in me is getting the best of me?
1. Am I ever satisfied with my achievements?
I am always looking forward to future challenges. I am unable to fully celebrate the present-day achievements because I am already thinking about what the future has in store. I ponder on bigger possible successes to build my ego. “I’ve accomplished this, what next?”, “I’ve come this far, what more do I need to do to get another promotion?”. This leaves me with an unsettled mind causing dissatisfaction and thirst for greater tasks.
2. Am I “all over the place”?
I find myself engaging in so many activities to reach my full potential. My life time goal is to leave a remarkable life behind and want people to feel the impact of my existence. I have several deadlines set because I have bitten quite more than I can chew. Despite this, I don’t want to let my efforts go to waste but sadly have to leave non priorities undone and focus on what will make me more noticed once I attain it.
3. Do I care about the outcome or the process?
Failure is my biggest enemy. The only way for me to be fully satisfied with my accomplishment is if I come out as the sole front-runner in the battle regardless of how much work I have to put into it. I believe that the more victories than failures I attain, the more respect I will earn. When my harvest is richly fruitful, I am most likely to experience feelings of relief because I have evaded failure.
4. Do I Take Risks to Reach My Goals?
As an over achiever I tend to set goals that may seem to be unrealistic. Sometimes I find myself engaging in noxious acts that are against ethics and codes of conduct. I am willing to go the extra mile in the dark to avoid failure (PS; This is an extreme case, not all over achievers do the unimaginable to reach their goal)
5. Is my measure of success dependent on my peers’ accomplishments?
I am always looking out to see if I have out-competed my peers. I have a fear of them achieving way more than I will so I always make sure that I am steps ahead. I don’t want to end up being the commonplace guy in the clique whose attainments didn’t stand out as much as the rest.
Is being an over achiever a good thing or a bad thing?
The fact of being one is not a problem, but rather the thought of the need to maintain the level of achievement that’s been set in the eyes of the people you surround at all .
” How does one cope with this magnitude of pressure?”, “How can I manage my success level so as not to hinder my physical health, emotional well-being and social relationships?”
Three core moralities come to mind;
a) Engaging your peers
It is always good to share with friends opportunities and how you have been able to achieve so much. Also, learn to take constructive criticism in good faith. Taking a little time off with the boys/ girls will help you see a clearer reflection of what you are.
b) Believe in timing
As failure is the utmost fear of a perfect overachiever, you should learn that God’s timing is the best timing. Not everything will always turn out as planned. Believe that closed doors are eye openers to doors that you never thought would change your life.
c) Take lead in a few light moments
Take time off your “busy” schedule to do a few things out of your perfection context for example getting onto stage on a karaoke night without caring what you’ll sound like just have fun. This will help you understand and appreciate the imperfect nature of being human.
Achievement is generally a good thing. After all, the purpose of going through a given process is to reach a certain goal. The question is how do we respond to the blessing granted? Do you know of any overachievers around you? How do they conduct themselves?
How much of an over achiever are you? A couple of self test links below
