The Tale of the High Achiever
As a high achiever, you’re a natural high performer and regularly exceed people’s expectations. From job promotions, honor’s list, and being the go-to person for the best advice, you can handle it all… but you’re hurting yourself in the long run.
Despite the slight advantage, let’s face it… we’re only human and the problems show up in other ways. Completing tasks at work is a breeze, but your to-do at home is piling up. You can ace an exam with only a few hours of studying, but you still ask yourself, “What is this all for?” You constantly feel anxious, never wanting to disappoint other’s by making mistakes or seeming less dependable. You want to be everything to everyone, but the only person who you haven’t helped is yourself.
Yes, you are a high achiever, but an achiever for whose standards: Society’s or your own? The reason you still feel empty after a multitude of outside accomplishments is because you have been aiming for the wrong target. The root of your inner tension isn’t from lack of skill, determination, or talent, but instead stems from being out of alignment with your authentic self. If you can’t quickly answer questions like “Who am I?”, “What is my purpose?”, “What do I most desire to experience in this lifetime” then it may be time to look at how you’re living your life. I know this, because I am just like you.
From graduating college early, representing my city as a pageant queen for a year, and earning honor’s every semester in college, I should’ve felt fulfilled. Instead, I went to bed every night feeling lost, anxious, and crippled with fear. I had built my self-worth based on the rocky foundation of society’s expectations. Believed my sacrifices and hard work would lead to success, I neglected my health, goals, travel plans, family, and more. But, in reality, the only path to success is the one you discover for yourself.
Why does this matter? Because the biggest regret of the dying is wishing they had the courage to live true to themselves instead trying to meet other’s expectations. I don’t want you to get to the end of your life and realize that everything you sacrificed means nothing, because it was never what you really wanted in the first place. Just taking a moment right now to analyze what you really desire can save you a lifetime of regrets.
Crafting your own lifestyle that meets your desires and purpose will not only bring the fulfillment you’ve been searching for but also bring clarity to live a meaning life. If you’re wondering how you can start carving your own path to success, I’ve created a helpful workbook that can guide you through that process with in-depth questions and prompts.
If I could leave you with one message, it would be this: You are entirely up to you. Your life, your story, your legacy is made by the choices you make every day. So make this lifetime memorable and live life without “What if’s”
