Today's blog is a full circle moment. Me, like many of you were taught that hard work pays off. As a result, if I wasn't working hard at something, it wasn't worth much to me. Overachiever's complex, you could call it. You know, the belief that you have to be smarter than the rest and work harder than the least to get ahead. Though I understand the context as a person of color, it can be a stumbling block when you don't know your true value. My full circle moment brings me to what I've learned.
Overachieving makes the goal the end all-be all. We fill our lives with goal setting. Got to reach the goal, we tell ourselves. But if you haven't been present in the journey, you'll get to the finish line and wonder what it was all for. A goal alone is not enough to bring satisfaction. Ask those who have worked their whole lives and have attained much materially but have no relationship with their children now grown. You have to be able to live, laugh and love else it's hardly worth it.
Overachieving makes it hard to listen to your internal compass. You're so focused on the results that you can miss all the cues, whispers and signals of your Wiser Self. Taking a page from my own life, when I went to college I had no idea what I wanted to major in. So when it came time to declare a major, I didn't know what to do. I went to see my guidance counselor, took a test and she said the results were high in math and high in psychology. Being that my goal was to find a good job, I discounted my first love psychology and majored in math instead. My reason? One, I would get out of college on time and two, there was more potential in math to make more money...so I was told.
I disregarded the whisper. My Inner Wisdom knew that psychology was linked to my calling in life. That's why I was enamored with it. Of course, being young and barely in my 20's, I only knew what I knew - absolutely nothing...lol. I went all past my intuition, my gut, and chose math. True, I have an aptitude for math and accounting but my calling, math is not. My calling is more linked to my path and how I was able to overcome the trauma's and hurts.
What I have learned is this. I don't have to strive for what I'm called to do. All I have to do is get in position. Align myself with the wisdom inside and act accordingly. It's not about reaching a goal but living my best life. Everything that I'm suppose to have will run and overtake me. How do I know this? It's happening right now. So, I've turned in my overachiever's card and have placed my stakes in purposeful ground.
