I have always been an overachiever. I was always the one who cried if I didn't get 100%. I groaned if the teacher said "no fluff- just staple it". I was always the one whose projects were turned in several weeks prior to the due date. And while being an overachiever in college is definitely more taxing than being an overachiever in life up to that point, the more frustrating part is that you feel bad if you don't overachieve.
One of the most irritating parts of being an overachiever is when everyone around you expects it. Whether its friends wanting your notoriously good class notes or your professors expecting you to go above and beyond on everything you turn in, being an overachiever is exhausting. You spend too much time on perfecting that which doesn't need to be perfected, you spend hours upon hours basically rewriting a textbook in your notes (because "what if it's open-note exam?"), and you end up being the sole contributor to group projects because "no one else does it right."
What are we expected to do when we just don't have enough time to overachieve? What happens when the overachievers meet the standard instead of going above and beyond? We get beat up. Not in the literal sense, but we get frustrated with ourselves because "I know I can do better," and then our professors knock us down several points because "I was expecting more from you" (Even though the quality of the work you just did is still better than the average Joe). Overachievers put too much pressure on themselves, simply due to the fact that we don't know how to not stress out about the little things.
On that note - let's talk about being anxious because of the little things. I can't tell you how many nights I've stayed up because there are so many things I want to start or finish. Oh, and waking up in the middle of the night just to quickly jot down some brilliant ideas that will send your assignment over the top? I keep a notepad and pen on my nightstand just for that purpose. We get stressed out not only because we're trying to be the very best at whatever we've set our minds to, but because we're afraid of failure. The very best example I can give of this is from "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" after Hermione sees a boggart; "'P-P-Professor McGonagall!’ Hermione gasped, pointing into the trunk. ‘Sh-she said I’d failed everything!'" That, my dear friends, is exactly what every overachiever faces every time they go to hit that "Submit" button.
So next time you're freaking out about an assignment and you simply don't think your work is up to par with what you've done in the past... breathe. Walk around, laugh with your friends, or go get a cup of chai tea. The world won't end if you don't add that extra graphic, your future won't be shattered if you don't put on the picture perfect party for your friend, and nobody will think anything less of you if you actually let the people in your group contribute to that project. And even if someone does try to put you down for being an overachiever, remember that you weren't born to be average... you were born to be awesome.
