What do you think of overachievers?

Question

I used to be an overachiever and then I turned into an average achiever. By overachieving, I mean those people who try to be perfect at things like GPAs, careers, and the like. What happened to enjoying life? Does that 100 on your test really mean anything if you don't remember 100 percent of the stuff later on in life? Isn't learning, helping others, and being happy the most important things in life? I came from the top public school in New York City, and overachievers there sleep for an average of four hours per night and get continuously stressed out. This type of mentality also promotes cheating and lots of competition over things like GPAs that don't really matter in the long run. How is this mentality healthy?

People here really think that four hours of sleep per night, continuous stress for things that may not even matter in life, can be enjoyable and healthy?

The prefix "over" suggests:

1 : so as to exceed or surpass 2 : excessive 3 : to an excessive degree

Yeah, I agree with Nexus. A lot of successful businessman and also even some scientists were thought of stupid during their school days.

If one feels passionate about something, they don't have to obsess over GPAs and elite colleges to be successful candi.

Honeygirl, it is a common misconception that being a grind would make you successful and happy in life.

Josh, happiness should not, and probably does not depend on material goods. According to statistics, people did not become happier over the years even as our standards of living get better. Maybe that's because we have to work harder for those stupid things that confine us.

I care about the next generation also, but I doubt everyone has to work 80 hour weeks, skip meals, and all sorts of things to do so. What matters is not more material gain or even advance technology, but the happiness of our future generations. Happiness does not come from working 80 hour weeks or skipping meals. You think farm life is bad? People used to spend only 20 hours per week or less for food and shelter, and things like hunting, gathering berries are probably a lot more enjoyable than farm work. It is due to greed that people decide to farm (a lot more hours per week), and thus ruin their leisure time. And people do not have to work 80 hour weeks on farms either.

Answer 1

The key to life is moderation and balance. I find it hard to believe they are balancing work with fun, as I don’t believe I’ve heard anyone say they enjoy studying/working (although I’m sure a very small amount do). I actually feel a little sorry for them, because they will likely die earlier and haven’t had much fun in the process. The sad fact is that you’d be hard pressed to name a great world/corporate leader that was an overachiever. C students are FAR more likely to become the great leaders of the world.

Answer 2

Hmmm....well, I am an overachiever, so I'll give this a shot. I used to be an underachiever on purpose--I was scared to fail when trying my best, so I purposely failed. That way, I would still fail, but it'd be my choice. Now, I try my very best and, yes, I get upset when I'm not the best. I can't accept when I'm not the best. Right now, I'm a graduate student and I have 3 As and an A-. I am unashamedly pissed about that A- and will not rest until it's an A. Do I think this is unhealthy. Not at all.

First of all, I do better when I have 4 hours of sleep than if I have 8. If I get 8, I'll be groggy all day long. I'd rather sleep for 4, then maybe grab a quick nap later. Overachievers never sleep, we take naps. People tell me this is unhealthy, but they don't understand how I feel physically and what hours of sleep work best for me.

As for your other questions, it's not healthy to stress about other things that won't matter in life. But grades will matter in life. No one remembers everything they learned in school, but our GPAs still follow us for the rest of our lives (what kind of grades you have affect how many degrees you can get and from where and that affects what jobs you get, what kind of money you'll make and the quality of life you can give to your family). Careers will matter in life. Measurable amounts of stress over those areas are good for you, as long as you don't take it too far. But people must understand that what is "too far" for you might be just enough for another person to be at the top of their game. And while that mentality may promote cheating, it doesn't cause it. A true overachiever will want to actually ACHIEVE something. Cheating is NOT achieving. It's posing as an overachiever. I don't claim the posers.

Learning and family and all that are definitely the most important things. Getting enough sleep and food for your body to function are most important. But that doesn't mean that awesome grades are unimportant. As long as we don't go overboard (and remember that "overboard" is different for everyone), we should be proud of who we are and what we do.

Hope this helps (and that it wasn't too long),
HG

Answer 3

While I admit that the type of ethics you mention may be 'unhealthy' for a relaxed, no worries lifestyle, everybody wants to be better than they are.

This goes hand in hand the idea that your parents worked to create the best possible opportunities for the next generation. If any of your previous generations were successful enough to provide a life for you that leaves you unconcerned with your own success and that of the next generation, great! But that is not the case for most folks.

When you look at salary statistics, you realize that half the US population will be hard pressed to create a college fund for their children. Any scholarship goes a long way to taking the edge off that loan, and you must score those kinds of accolades in order to get (and in most cases, keep) your scholarship funds available. For most people, this is not something they will leave to luck or chance. Success must be earned, and for most of us, that takes work.

Things like the deficiency of the American dedication to work ethic and education matter very much, in the long run, as is easily apparent when you examine America's current economic and social situation. We are having a hard time keeping up in many areas, worldwide, and our fathers and grandfathers saw it coming.

Arguably, it is the duty of this generation to sacrifice for the next, so they have better opportunities to sacrifice for the next, and so on, so our human situation can (hopefully) improve.

If it wasn't for the sacrifice and dedication of Edison, and the myriad engineers that built and developed computers, you would not have access to this yahoo social network, nor the limitless information and marketplace that the internet represents. You would have no time for idle amusements or silly side hobbies, as everyone's back would be needed to plow fields and darn socks and prepare food, just to stay alive.

I appreciate the efforts of the overachievers. I hope my efforts will be felt by my family for generations to come. There is already property, and trust funds for the nieces and nephews (I have no children of my own) should be forthcoming next year. This is what I do to contribute, and I do not question the value of my contributions, even though they sometimes mean 80 to 100 hour weeks, missed meals, second and third jobs, and some pretty crazy financial dances to get where I am.

If that means my sister's son and daughter will not have to live like she lived, like our mother and her mother did, before her, then I refuse to regret it.

Nothing grows without stress and trial. If the seed did not have the pod and the earth to push against, it would die. If you do not push yourself to grow strong, you will also grow weak and fallow.

It only doesn't matter if you don't care.

Answer 4

Healthy? No. That much stress is not good for anyone. However, I can't help myself. I have to strive for an A+ every time. I average about 4hrs sleep a night, have been steadily losing weight since the start of the semester, and have a piercing headache behind my right eye almost constantly. But I am getting A's in all my classes!

If I knew how to stop I would. I just don't know how to just be.

Answer 5

Nexus made a good statement about moderation and balance. That is essential in any aspect of your life, as long as your goal is happiness. My father, brother and husband are all over-achievers. They all suffer from stress related physical symptoms. My husband has silent migraines and spends much of his time feeling over-whelmed when he cannot physically achieve his goals. His "to-do" list increases faster than he can cross things off. Being a high-achiever is a good character trait in a person, but can sometimes be poorly balanced when time is not allowed for relaxation and de-stressing. I have taken up yoga to deal with all of these over-achievers in my life. They are stressful people to be around all the time.

Answer 6

You make very good points. Achievement means nothing if we can't put it to positive use in our lives- and I don't mean by getting a high paying job and being rich. Learning, helping others and being happy are definitely some of the most important things in life- not necessarily in that order for everyone- but they're up there, regardless.

I believe over-achievement is a manifestation of deep insecurity and detachment from emotions.

Answer 7

I don't let school get in the way of my education.
Learning isn't about getting straight A's and 100%'s on all your tests. It's about traveling, experiencing, and seeing the world. I go to a public high school, but I miss A LOT of the days. I spend my time traveling the world, and going to all different countries and continents. So far the only continents I haven't been to are Antarctica and Australia. When I travel to new places, I learn SOOOO MUCH MORE than what I learn in school. I learn a little bit of their language, all about their culture, their way of life, their religons....and it benefits me a whole lot more. You're right when you said people won't remember 100 percent of what they learned in school later on in life. Well later on in life, I will remember 110% of what I learned when I traveled. School is for chumps....traveling is for the intelligent :D
HOPE I HELPED<3

Answer 8

It is good you are a student of high standard, but you do not have to over work yourself to maintain the standards.

You can make yourself have personality and obsessive disorders by being fixated with work and how good you must be.

Try to cut down on the time you study and give yourself some time to enjoy life.

Answer 9

You have to consider that person's long term goals. One of my best friends in high school was an OVER overachiever. Always stressed, always upset over even the smallest "failure". A closer look provided the insight needed to understand why. He was molested as a young boy and lived most of his childhood in poverty. He was determined to create a life for himself far from the life that he grew up in.
Now, he is a Yale graduate, lives in NYC (from Oklahoma), and produces an art group that he is cofounder of. Still an overachiever...loves his life because he knows that without all of the hard work he did in high school and college made it possible for him to live out his passions.

Answer 10

It depends on how you define overachieving, and here you have defined it in a negative fashion.

I define overachieving as getting more out of yourself than you expect to, and others expect you to. I look at it as a positive.