When you think of an overachiever, the image of a high-powered exec or a rich and famous celeb or influencer. What you don’t see is what happens behind the scenes and all the things they went through to get to where they are. It’s not all about schmoozing and working themselves into the ground — overachievers tend to do these things regularly to help them on their journeys.
1. They wing it every once in a while.
Overachievers are often portrayed as having their lives together, but the truth is that they don’t always have a plan. They might not know what they want to do with their lives, but they keep pushing forward anyway. While they like knowing what they’re doing, sometimes they recognize that’s not feasible and that they have to fly by the seat of their pants to increase their chances of success. That’s just how it goes.
2. They go for it even when they feel a bit lost.
While overachievers are often seen as experts in their fields, the truth is that they don’t always know what they’re doing. They might be learning as they go, but they keep pushing forward anyway. A lot of the experience they have came from learning on the job rather than going in at the top level. The only way to learn is by doing, right?
3. They go it alone.
I’m not claiming that overachievers are total loners with no supportive friends or family. However, being so myopic in their focus often leads them to have to go through much of their lives alone. Either they feel like they don’t have the time to seek advice and encouragement from their loved ones or they don’t believe they’ll understand what they’re going through. Whatever the reason, it’s kind of sad. (If you often feel alone and are tired of it, our sister site, Sweetn, will help you overhaul your mind and overcome your limiting beliefs to invite love into your life. Check them out here!)
4. They often go without proper sleep.
It goes without saying that overachievers often have to function on very little sleep, but this happens pretty regularly since they have so many things on their to-do list that need to get finished ASAP. They might be burning the midnight oil to meet a deadline or waking up extra early to fit everything into the day they need to, but they figure that’s part of the price they have to pay for success.
5. They turn down opportunities to socialize.
On a certain level, overachievers have to have a lot of social intelligence and know how to talk to people — that’s how they forge connections with important people. That being said, they don’t always have a proper social life. They’re usually way too busy working on their goals to go out and have fun, which really sucks. They end up missing out on a lot of fun times because they’re so focused on their end goal.
6. They let their work-life balance go out the window.
It would be wrong to insist that in order to be successful in life, you have to live to work. That’s definitely not the case. However, there’s also a difference between achieving some of the goals you have and being an overachiever who seems to have the Midas touch to excel in every single thing they try. There’s a cost to get there, of course — their lives tend to be all work and no play, which can be isolating and lonely.
7. They struggle with finding all the answers.
You might think an overachiever can solve any problem, but the truth is that they don’t always have all the answers. How could they? They’re only human. Sometimes they legitimately don’t know how to fix an issue, but instead of letting it get on top of them, they ask for help from people who might be able to shed some light on the best way forward. Then, they keep trying until they discover the answer.
8. They forge ahead without a backup plan.
While planning is really important to overachievers, it’s not always possible to move forward with so much security. They often have to keep going without a backup plan in place. Finding success in life often involves a certain amount of risk-taking, and not having a Plan B if your first course of action is scary, but it’s also exhilarating — and potentially very rewarding.
9. They let themselves fall apart.
When you look at an overachiever, you automatically assume their lives are pretty much perfect, but the truth is that they don’t always have it all together. They might be struggling with their mental health, relationships, or finances, but that doesn’t stop them from pursuing their goals wholeheartedly. They recognize that sometimes they’re going to have periods where they’re not at 100%. However, they also have faith they’ll get back there.
10. They sometimes lack a clear path to success but keep the faith anyway.
The idea that overachievers know exactly how to reach their goals at all times is silly — that would be impossible. There are a lot of movable parts in life, meaning that even the best-laid plans can go awry quickly and completely derail them. They may not know exactly how they’re going to get to where they want to be, but the one difference is that they never lose the faith that they will indeed get there in the end.
11. They deal with lots of tough times.
At first glance, it does kind of seem like overachievers come from a very privileged background devoid of some of the stress and setbacks that many “normal” people face. However, that’s not always true. There are plenty of overachievers who have gotten where they are specifically because they were spurred on by adversity and hardship in their past. That continues throughout their lives. Most overachievers have heard “no” a lot more than “yes.”
12. They get discouraged and feel down but always pick themselves back up again.
Overachievers are often seen as being positive and optimistic, but the truth is that they get discouraged and frustrated just like thee first of us. They recognize that they’re human and that they can’t always be the upbeat, optimistic, cheery person that many people believe they are and they allow themselves the time and space to feel like crap. The difference is that they’re able to get back up again and remember who they are and what they want.
13. They let the right path reveal itself.
Don’t be naive enough to assume that overachievers stick to a rigid plan and never deviate from it. In reality, they’re often happy to keep an open mind and let the right way reveal itself in time. They trust that they’re headed for great things — and often enough, they’re right.
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