Thursday, March 10, 2005

 

An Overachiever's day is never done

What's the difference between a high achiever and an overachiever? A high achiever can rest, relax and enjoy his or her success or achievement. The overachiever on the other hand is never satisfied. The success that was supposed to bring a sense of satisfaction is never enough. The overachiever continually puts pressure on self to do more. This quest to do more is really a compensation for not being able to feel "being more" or "being enough". The one word that keeps on appearing when we refer to overachevers is "perfectionism".

How do you know if you are an overachiever? You take on and work sixty-hour weeks to prove that you can do the job that has burned out three of your predecessors. You are proud for being such a trouper and never complaining. Inside you fear that you are not quite good enough. You persevere even when the boat is taking you under.
You avoid feeling. You stay in your head until you need some relief and often find the relief in another "thing" - be it tv,noise, shopping, a bigger car or a McHouse or some other substance. And the relief is short-lived. Then you beat yourself up.

It's not the time to beat yourself up. Fear is clouding your judgment and preventing you to feel what's really happening. Individuals who constantly beat themselves up rarely "deserve" all that they are piling onto themselves. Yes, you may need to make some changes in how you do things, but there is nothing fundamentally wrong with "who" you are.

Marguerite Tennier, M.A.
http://www.canadascoach.com



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