Overachievers: pretty much everyone has at least one in their friendship circle. They can be identified by their lack of free time, participation in an abundance of clubs, excessive stress regarding school, and other things similar. If you can't find this person, you may be this person. You, like myself, may be very aware of this aspect of yourself and recognize both the advantages and downfalls that result. If you are the overachiever of your friend group, here are seven things only you will understand.
1. You avoid getting a B as if it was a failing grade.
Not only do you know what percentage grade you need to get on the final to keep your A, but exactly how many questions you can afford to get wrong, and whether it would be better to focus on the multiple choice or the short answers.
2. The concept of free time seems more like a fairy tale than reality...
You hear people complaining about spending a whole day doing nothing, and it seems made up. YouTube, Netflix, and many other idle forms of entertainment are occasional leisurely treats, not everyday occurrences. Having enough time to binge-watch a season of "Doctor Who" would be considered a special occasion in your book.
3. ...and when you do have free time, it is unsettling.
Surely something could be getting done, right? There's no way that there isn't any homework, paperwork, or projects that could be getting worked on. You want to treat yourself to casually relaxing around the house, perhaps taking a nice bath or scrolling through Tumblr, yet nothing can shake the unsettling feeling of thinking that you're wasting the day away. This is often when you're likely to make new commitments that you most likely cannot fit into your already busy schedule.
4. Summer. Break.
With the absence of regular homework and clubs slowing down, you have to find other things to occupy your time. This is usually a good time to take on a summer job, find new volunteer opportunities, as well as attend a variety of different summer camps. Of course, during all of this, you stay on top of your summer reading and work packets.
5. When school starts again, you are confronted with a ton of fees.
Between clubs fees, class fees, fundraisers, school pictures, and much more, the amount of money it takes to do everything you do is overwhelming. When are you going to have another chance to do this all again if not in high school? Money may not be as abundant as you'd like, but at the end of the day, it is all worth it.
6. Sometimes you just get done with it all.
All of the stress and expectation can build up and just become too much. You think that maybe you can just quit everything - drop off the face of the earth, so to speak. At the end of the day; however, you love what you do and it is worth every second.
7. You're grateful for the people in your life that get you through it all.
Okay, so maybe this isn't exclusive to overachievers. The amount of financial, moral, and emotional support required to manage your busy and challenging schedule is outstanding. There's no way to do it by yourself. Any and all success you achieve is accredited directly to them, and any way you can think of to repay them, you do.
