I'm thinking about my post from yesterday, specifically about the long list of friends (myself included) who have suffered injuries over the last few months...
Are we overachievers?
Or overdoers?
It's interesting that we're all women.
Have you read the article that came out this week about the level and length of exercise that middle-age women need in order to maintain their health and weight? Even before the article was published, we knew intuitively that a few minutes of exercise here and there wouldn't help us maintain our fitness goals. And so maybe we push ourselves a little too hard. Yet one could argue that pushing yourself to achieve goals provides not only the physical rewards, but also psychological ones: It makes us feel good all over.
Until we get hurt. Then we feel bad.
So where's the happy medium? That's what I'm pondering now. Any thoughts?
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2 comments:
From a lazy man's perspective, these are my definitions:
Overachiever - One who strives to accomplish goals for no reason other than to prove to themselves or others that they can simply achieve them.
Overdoer - One who does more than is necessary because they feel that they need to.
The happy medium is whatever makes you happy. Sounds simple right? That's cause it is :-)
I do what I WANT to do. Not what others want me to do. Not what I want to prove to others (they really don't care as much as you think). Not what others expect me to do (they can do it themselves if it's so important).
I may do alot sometimes, but I never OVER do anything.
MOST IMPORTANT --
I don't put myself in a category, or try to label myself, all that does is LIMIT ME. I'm one of a kind baby!
-- LOL, hope this helps :-)
Point well taken. But a few counterpoints & clarifications...
Your definition of "overachiever" is my definition of "achiever." Because I'm happy being goal-oriented, I like having goals that may appear to be set "for no reason other than to prove" myself. Goals give me a sense of order and peace, not anxiety. It has to be something that's a bit of a challenge, but not overwhelming. Doable. (I feel restless when I don't have a challenging goal.)
Where it becomes too much, in my life, is when I set too many goals simultaneously - then I can't devote the proper time to any of them, and I fail at all of them. Sometimes things have to simmer on the back burner. I'm actually better about allowing for this at the current stage of my life.
But as a result of this characteristic, my tendencies are to set a goal, then keep going until I find my personal limit. When I go all the way up to that (invisible) limit, I do some things I really love. But sometimes, because that limit is indeed invisible, I end up crossing it and setting myself back. Then I have a Homer Simpson moment: "Doh!"
But with all that, I agree with you: I do what I want to do, for me, not for others. That other way of thinking is a good 15 years in my past.
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