The Truth about High Achievers: Six Traits of Achievers Revealed.

In a world that celebrates hustle and success, high achievers are often revered as the epitome of success and dedication. High achievers are the ones who consistently go above and beyond, pushing themselves to exceed expectations and achieve more. While this relentless drive often leads to impressive accomplishments, it typically comes at a steep personal cost too. Most high performers and overachievers I work with look wildly successful by outward appearances. Internally though, they’re barely treading water. If you’re a high achiever and this resonates for you, keep reading and we’ll uncover what’s really going on below the surface as well as how you can keep accomplishing great things without losing yourself or feeling like you’re treading water every day. 

High Achievers are Chronically Tired in the Pursuit of their Goal.

Overachievers are notorious for their tireless work ethic. You’re constantly pushing yourself to meet deadlines, exceed expectations, and accomplish more. However, this never-ending drive for perfection often leads to a physical and mental toll that can’t be ignored.

The pressure you’ve placed on yourself to perform at times feels motivating and at other times feels like a crushing weight that leaves you feeling drained, overwhelmed, and even burnt out. Sometimes you struggle to maintain your energy levels and find it difficult to rest and recharge during the weekend.

Fluctuating energy levels and chronic fatigue are driven by your inability to slow down. As a high achiever, you are so focused on what’s next that you’re constantly bouncing from one thing to the next without taking time to celebrate your wins or take time to rest before starting the next thing. The solution? Learning to recognize when enough is enough, and embracing the idea that rest isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity.

High Achievers Often Feel Like Frauds.

Impostor syndrome is a common struggle for many high achievers. Despite your impressive accomplishments, you might feel like you  just “got lucky” or don’t truly deserve the success you’ve created. You fear that others will “find out” you’re not as competent or qualified as you appear. This can lead to feelings of self-doubt, anxiety, and a constant feeling of inadequacy. As a high achiever, you likely combat these negative feelings toward yourself by pushing yourself harder and accomplishing more, in a continued effort to prove your worth to yourself and those around you. 

High Achievers Have A Never-Ending To-Do List.

Generally speaking, overachievers tend to be poor managers of their time. In search of validation and proving their value, overachievers say yes to nearly everything that comes their way resulting in a perpetually packed schedule (hello lack of boundaries and delegation). Overscheduling presents challenges with effectively prioritizing your time which can create inefficient task management and stress. You might assume that more hours spent working equates to accomplishing more. But in reality, overworking often leads to diminishing returns. When everything is a priority, nothing really gets the attention it deserves.You might find yourself racing from one task to another, constantly playing catch-up, but never fully able to focus on what matters most. To quote Zig Ziglar, “lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four-hour days.”

High Achievers Hate Delegation.

In my experience, delegation is a real pain point for high performers. If you want to get something done and have it done correctly, you might as well do it yourself, right? High performers pride themselves on their ability to handle everything on their own, which often translates to taking on more than they can realistically manage. Taking on more than you can manage opens the door to stress, frustration, resentment, and even burnout, despite your best intentions to juggle all the plates.

You may fear that by relinquishing a task through delegation you will lose control of the outcome or someone else may mess up something you’ve taken hours or even years to perfect. Additionally, resistance to delegation may be tied to feelings of impostor syndrome and the fear of being seen as incapable or incompetent if you hand off a task to another team member. Resisting delegation and holding onto everything tightly can actually reduce the quality of your work in the long run. In reality, delegation can actually be your superpower allowing you to offload unimportant tasks so you can focus your time and energies where you can make the most impact. 

High Achievers Believe “No” is a Dirty Word.

High achievers often struggle with saying no, whether it's to colleagues, friends, or family members. They have a strong desire to please others and fear disappointing anyone. This can lead to a constant cycle of overcommitting, leaving you with little time for yourself or other important relationships and personal endeavors.

Saying no can feel uncomfortable for high achievers, but it’s a critical skill in maintaining balance. Learning to set healthy boundaries and prioritize personal well-being can help diminish the stress of juggling too many responsibilities. It’s important to remember that saying no doesn’t mean being unkind or selfish—it simply means respecting your personal and professional limits.

High Achievers Thrive On External Validation.

High achievers often seek external validation, whether it's through praise from their boss, recognition from peers, or approval from loved ones. This need for affirmation can drive high achievers to constantly seek out new achievements and accolades to prove their worth.

While there’s nothing wrong with wanting recognition, overreliance on external validation can lead you to chronically overperform and overcommit without ever feeling truly satisfied and fulfilled. You may find yourself finishing a new accomplishment and then without skipping a beat asking yourself, “what’s next?”  Shifting your focus from external validation to internal satisfaction helps develop a more balanced sense of self-worth. Learning to recognize your value beyond accomplishments can aid you in pursuing goals that align with your personal values and leave you feeling a greater sense of fulfillment.

Finding Balance: How a Career Performance Coach Can Help.

For many high achievers, finding balance can feel like an impossible task. You don’t want to sacrifice your ambition, but you’re also desperate to hop off the emotional roller coaster of constant overcommitment and over-performance at the sake of your wellbeing and happiness. This is where working with a career performance coach can be incredibly helpful.

I understand firsthand what it’s like to constantly chase performance goal after performance goal; to be an unsatisfied overachiever. I also know what it’s like to shed that old version of myself and to create a life of balance and ambition. If I can create this shift in my life and career, so can you. 

Imagine a life where you don’t have to choose between success and well-being. You can successfully align your desire to ambitiously pursue your performance goals without sacrificing fulfillment and balance. This isn’t a too-good-to-be-true pipe dream - when we work together we load up your “toolbox” with the necessary mindset shifts, performance tools, and accountability systems necessary to help you shift from being an unhappy overachiever, to a balanced and fulfilled high performer. 

Are you ready to have the career and life you’ve always dreamed about? Schedule a complimentary consultation to take the next step to make your dream life and career a reality. 

Meet Nicole McDaniel, LPC, BCC

Nicole McDaniel is a licensed psychotherapist and board certified coach based in Sandy Springs, Georgia. Nicole provides career coaching for high performing professionals who are burnout, battling perfectionism, and impostor syndrome.