If you have ever been part of that special group, that group, which always wanted to get things right. Wanting to go above and beyond the call of success. You want to be right. You want to be perfect. There is a need and desire to be the best. Evenmoreso, is how important it is to find yourself in a state of moving forward, and having success.
Whether it was our primary, middle school, and high school stages, or our first year in college, we wanted to be the very best. Competitive. Going beyond the call of duty, and ensuring that we could stand out beyond the crowd. If we made a mistake, we vowed to ourselves to never make one, again. Perfection was the strategy of our day! Nevertheless, what we wanted to do was use our success, to mask our weaknesses. Perfection is key! Then, when it is all said and done, we begin to burn out. One hint of imperfection, and we find ourselves harboring feelings of defeat.
In many ways being an overachiever can be addictive. We gain certain feelings of triumph and victory, when feeling we have acquired what others have not. Simultaneously, we must also remember that there are dangers in being an “overachiever.” That danger comes in not knowing when to slow down, or even valuing your own humanity. Regardless of being a highly successful person, there is one thing you need to know. You are still human! You have to take care of yourself. Here are a few examples you can do, in order to check in, and make sure you are maintaining your holistic wellness, while pushing for success.
*Make Your Mistakes A Learning Process
Even overachievers and successful people make mistakes. That’s the journey of being human. Therefore, allow your mistakes to serve as learning opportunities. Study them. Remember that mistakes only stay as “mistakes,’ should we not use them for our advantage. Furthermore, transform those mistakes into sources of empowerment. One of the fascinating thing about mistakes is how they have the potential to become, tools!
*Give Yourself Time To Break
Its a phenomenal endeavor when high-ranking achievement is coupled with the ability to appreciate the essence of simply breathing. It feels good to sit back and find joy on our path to success. Breaks give us that re-fueling energy. Furthermore, we are provided with an opportunity to reflect upon what we have already done. Becoming a work-a-holic is synonymous with an easy burn out. Take your time and take some breaks. Working yourself like a machine only increases the likelihood that you will not achieve the aims of your choosing.
*Celebrate The Good Things You Have Already Done
It helps us to appreciate what we have already created. The problem with many of us, overachievers, is that we are so focused on rushing to the next thing. Too many are not interested in celebrating what we have already accomplished. Making a list, looking back on our accomplishments, or taking pictures of all the beautiful things we have accomplished is one of the myriad ways we can enjoy the celebration.
*Celebrate the Journey As Well, As the Rewards
Personal testimony illuminates the reality of seeing the journey as a “struggle.” This faux reality of rushing through our goals to get to the end is foolish. I know. We want the rewards and we want them, now. However, what makes the journey so beautiful, and intrinsic, are the many steps, leaps, cartwheels, and hops, we take to get there. Celebrate your existence, while you are on your path to success. Allow it to move you through your mastery of patience.
*Find Comedy In Being An Overachiever
One of the beauties of being an overachiever is how we can laugh at the degree of our serious nature. We truly don’t have to take ourselves seriously, all of the time. That’s the beauty and blessing of our character. It’s alright to make fun of our quirks and intricacies. Just see it as another way in how we can get through the rigidity of our accomplishments, without having to be so harsh.
*Breathe
Remember that while you are trying to get everything right, there are some things you are going to get wrong. Just breathe! Release and give yourself that time and room to gain clarity in what you are trying to accomplish. Everything will come together. Just make sure that you take that necessary time to center, yourself.
*Be More Sociable
Overachievers are often misunderstood. Too often a number of overachievers keep to themselves in order to make sure they are reaching their goals. Never wanting to get off course. However, it’s important to remind yourself that you are in the human world. There is a reason for being where you are. Your humanity is also part of that equation. Stay hungry for success, but value people along the way.
When people say “it’s lonely at the top,” they are not kidding themselves. There are sacrifices to be made when a person is doing the work of reaching the “impossible.” That’s alright and it’s ok. It means that a person is aspiring to greatness. Journeying ahead to that next level. Overachievers have to be more precise, and attentive to detail. There is a beauty and wonder, in being able to venture through to that next level; knowing that you are a few steps away in achieving one’s aim. However, just remember that you are still human. That does not stop you from that realm. Remind yourself of that humanity, so you don’t get lost along the way. Being an overachiever has its perks. Simultaneously, it does have its shortcomings, as well. Make sure you are not losing your connection to humanity. That way you are still able to bridge forth in achieving a high level of success, while enjoying your own persona, along the way.
