We all know that at some point in our lives, we want to do our best on a test, get that promotion, or receive a raise. Whatever it is, we all know that the signs of being an overachiever on a regular basis have telltale signs. Both fortunately and unfortunately, I'm an overachiever. Typical type A personality. It’s a blessing and a curse, but we all know what it means to be an overachiever, don’t we?

Whether it’s you, or someone you know, being an overachiever can cause quite a lot of stress; however, it can also give you a sense of relief knowing you got things done, and done right! Okay, so you know you have a serious “overachieving” problem when you are instantly relieved when you get your goal achieved. For instance, if you have an assignment due on the 10th of the month, as an overachiever, you need to complete it on the 1^st so you have plenty of time to look it over, rework it and have someone proofread it (what I do all of the time if I can). Let’s be real - we all know that once it’s done, it’s like a thousand pound weight is lifted off your shoulders.

We can also all relate that as an overachiever yourself or if someone close to you is one, they feel like they are never doing well enough at something. I can honestly say that this is so annoying! Whether it's not getting an A on an assignment, but instead getting a B+ or only making $50 in tips instead of $75 during a shift, someone who is an overachiever will seriously beat themselves up about it for days on end. Even though the circumstance may still be good, it may not be good ENOUGH for the overachiever. Believe me, it’s just as annoying for the person feeling that way as it is for the people around them! Unfortunately, I can tell you that from experience on both ends of the spectrum.

You can also note that as an overachiever, you will usually have a lot of unnecessary stress and anxiety about situations, which is not fun at all. If you have the tendency to be an overachiever, you are constantly worried about deadlines, performance, and if you’ll be good enough. Ugh, so annoying and so real at the same time. That’s why you want to get your project, paper, assignment, whatever it is, done as soon as possible so that way you don’t need to worry about it anymore and have it hanging over your head (even though you know you’ll still worry about it once it’s done).

Also, it's common knowledge that overachievers hate, and I mean HATE, tight deadlines. While we may be able to work well under pressure and still get it done, we’re afraid it won’t be done right. After all, not having enough time to redo it like, 10 times and perfect it, an overachiever will not be too happy that they only have a one day turnaround for a project that they would’ve wanted to mull over 10 days before it was due. Okay, we also all know that everyone hates the overachiever because they assume they are a kissup, a try hard, and just naturally that smart. No, let me tell you, it is not easy. I just want to do well and get things done in a timely manner. I promise, really, my main goal in life is not to have someone praise me every two seconds. I just want to feel like I did the best I possibly could have. It’s also common knowledge that as an overachiever, a rejection letter or anything criticizing you breaks your heart. Obviously, we all know that we can’t always get our way, but an overachiever sits there and wonders what is wrong with them and why they didn’t get into that school, get that promotion, or receive that bonus. Ohhhh, the struggle is real.

As overachievers, we take pride in our hardworking nature and strong work ethic. Therefore, we simply can’t fathom that people are not as diligent as we are. We just can’t understand when people don’t do their homework or don’t have the motivation to go after their dreams. Not that we judge them - it’s just hard to understand their work ethic being different from ours. Last, but not least, we can see that there is one problem in this equation. Overachievers don’t want to be overachievers. Sometimes we just can’t help it. Maybe it’s in our DNA or our natural born personality. More often than not, overachievers try to keep their “overachiever-ness” on the down low (at least I do).