Being an overachiever can be difficult and people often misunderstand you. I know that sometimes you work yourself too hard, and you feel like you failed. But, I am here to tell you that you did not fail. You may strive for perfection, which is a positive attribute. But, you need to understand that sometimes perfection is not always achievable. Just because you work incredibly hard and sacrifice a lot in order to achieve your goals, does not mean that said goal is attainable. The idea of perfection is something that I have struggled with for some time now. We are told from a young age that we can do whatever we set our minds to, so we believe in that whole hardheartedly. We set our goals as we age, and once you get to a certain age you pick your “thing." Some people’s thing are that they are focused on sports and how they can succeed with that. While, other people focus on video games, and learn the craft in that.

The point is; everyone hits the age where they decide what their “thing” will be and from that point on they go with it. They revolve their life around that “thing” and they either get better at it or let it go. This is where the perfectionism comes in to play, some people are not okay with average. Some people want to not only be the best at their “thing”, but they want to be perfect at it. While the definition of perfect may vary, to a perfectionist it does not matter. In their mind they focus on having to be perfect at the craft they focus on. When something goes wrong or may have small hiccups, most people just move on.

But, to a perfectionist it feels like they are failures or that they cannot move past this. Once this feeling sets in, it is hard for any person to get out of that mindset. A perfectionist will put themselves in this rut, where they keep blaming themselves for the mistakes they made. Unable to focus on the goal to pull themselves back to where they were before. It is a toxic cycle that I believe the millennial generation struggles with due to the pressures that we face. We live in an era where colleges now focus on standardized test scores, while continuing to hike up their tuition yearly. While still dealing with the fact that the job opportunities have dwindled for college graduates compared to previous generations. The pressure make you feel like you are suffocating, but your pride prevents you from asking for help.

So my word of advice is to take a deep breath and try to focus on the positive. You have so much to offer the world, but you need to understand that you cannot offer yourself away. You need to grasp the idea that you do not always have to give 150 percent to every single thing you do. It is okay to take a step back and focus on other things for a minute. Working yourself to the point of exhaustion will do nothing but harm your body. Although this is a stressful time in your life, that does not mean your body has to suffer. The idea that you can skip a day or two of sleep in order to have that perfect paper is deluded.

Walk away from the computer or that project and sit down to breathe. Go take a walk outside to enjoy the weather or go visit a loved one you haven't seen in a while. The people in your life love you for who you are and do not expect you to be perfect. They want you to be happy and to live the best life you can. The point is that you cannot live the best life you can if you are focusing on all the things you are not doing right. Life is precious, so you need to cherish every moment that you can. Getting upset over the little things is not healthy nor productive, so care about the important things. The best outlook one can have on life is to appreciate all the good things life has given us, not to focus on the bad.