Junkhead Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 (edited) Hello. Let me clarify where this is coming from: I'm an underachiever. This is due to a reason, however, and that's my lack of finding a good motivation, a great taste in life, and I wonder- What is it really, that makes overachievers want to be able to do those kind of things, to achieve many things and be the best they can? What motivates them to do so? I like to think of myself as a "shitty" person, but that's only of my lazy, underachieving and lack of interest in things. So that's really my question. Is it really worth working for unnecessary things like becoming a "better person"? Personally, I've never been bothered by this as I never like to try and do well at things. I satisfy with mediocrity. Edited December 10, 2012 by Soul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strunk Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 (edited) Hey, welcome to the club! Edited December 10, 2012 by Strunk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junkhead Posted December 10, 2012 Author Share Posted December 10, 2012 If you take it out of context like that you only make me sound like an insecure little scrub. Don't do that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Set some goals and don't let yourself out of them. Don't let yourself procrastinate and make sure you do what you want to. That's how you become an overachiever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momo Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Your life is worthless. Nothing you say or do will affect those around you in any way. Once you realize that, it just becomes a game of having as much fun as you want. We're all going to die anyway, why not just do whatever you enjoy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strunk Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 I apologize. I assumed everybody would read your post before mine, and therefore understand what I was referring to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junkhead Posted December 10, 2012 Author Share Posted December 10, 2012 Your life is worthless. Nothing you say or do will affect those around you in any way. Once you realize that, it just becomes a game of having as much fun as you want. We're all going to die anyway, why not just do whatever you enjoy? But this is what I enjoy, basically. Why would I change it? Just to have a good reputation (is that why overachievers...overachieve things, to look good?) I apologize myself, Strunk. You're right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agro Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Overachievers get off on achieving. It's a good feeling. If achieving isn't your thing, find something else that is. You don't go looking for motivation; you go looking for something that you want. Once you find something you want, you get motivation. Motivation isn't something you can find on its own: it comes with the whole package. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momo Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 But this is what I enjoy, basically. Why would I change it? Just to have a good reputation (is that why overachievers...overachieve things, to look good?) Exactly. You have to ask yourself if you truly do enjoy what you have going for you right now. If the answer is yes, then where is the issue? If not, then take steps to solve it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Raven Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 If you take it out of context like that you only make me sound like an insecure little scrub. Don't do that... Well that's because you probably are lol, life is going to hit you pretty fucking hard in the face eventually and you'll realize you've done almost nothing when it does. Now's the time when you have the energy and everything to figure out what you want to do and spending your entire time playing video games and mindlessly doing homework in school will get you nowhere.And I wouldn't assign anything negative to being an "insecure little scrub," considering you're still a teenager and you still have plenty of time to figure shit out. All these threads you create make you seem like a petty nihilist though. Overachievers get off on achieving. It's a good feeling. If achieving isn't your thing, find something else that is. You don't go looking for motivation; you go looking for something that you want. Once you find something you want, you get motivation. Motivation isn't something you can find on its own: it comes with the whole package.It's not that great a feeling, at least for me. Because I always want more and it's never ending, especially going into the profession I want to go into (which is research/teaching). It gets to be a drag sometimes, but I can't imagine it any other way.By the way, to answer your question, the ability to provide for a family and my parents when I'm fully grown. There's a lot more, but that's effectively the basics. I also genuinely enjoy what I do at school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrostyFireMage Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 I get where you're coming from. Ironically, I'm a perfectionist with pretty high standards for myself, but I lose interest if i'm forced to do a task I cannot thoroughly complete to the best of my ability. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samias Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 I highly recommend putting in the maximum amount of effort into whatever you do. Underachieving, or as I put it, being lazy, is only going to hurt you in the long run. Overachieving as you get older becomes either a lucky break or an insane amount of overtime, compared to high school where you honestly have a lot of free time to do whatever you want. You might not ever find your motivation, but when you do, working hard is just going to make you feel better and will never feel "unnecessary". If you want an example, I hated doing work in high school. I would only draw pictures all day every day instead of doing any semblence of work. I also hated the first three years I spent out of high school in fine arts, then I switched to animation. Now I willingly spend 10+ hours 7 days a week at the school making sure everything is done, and I'm fine with that. It just feels natural to me. So just think about what you like doing the most right now (aside from playing games) and start applying yourself, do some extra research, dabble around, and you'll find out why some people just actually like working as hard as they do. Otherwise, you'll end up working at a mediocre job for mediocre pay and that's that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redturtle806 Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Bill Gates - "I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it." You've gotta find your place in the world, and it's possible to be successful without being an over achiever. I would say the biggest trick is doing something you love for a living. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Excellen Browning Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 Hello. Let me clarify where this is coming from: I'm an underachiever. This is due to a reason, however, and that's my lack of finding a good motivation, a great taste in life, and I wonder- What is it really, that makes overachievers want to be able to do those kind of things, to achieve many things and be the best they can? What motivates them to do so? The people who seem to be motivated to overachieve are driven by a personal, not so much logical idea of wanting to succeed, and in a way stand above the rest (please note that nothing is intrinsically wrong with this). But what this thread really is about is "I've been underachieving all my life and I think less of myself because of it", isn't it? In that case, no one can help you find motivation. From my experience so far (and I'm only 22), the people who are not very motivated do not tend to find it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapier Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 It also kinda depends on your life. You can't find the meaning of life that soon, it's perfectly normal. But what this thread really is about is "I've been underachieving all my life and I think less of myself because of it", isn't it? In that case, no one can help you find motivation. From my experience so far (and I'm only 22), the people who are not very motivated do not tend to find it. Yeah, because of the comfort zone. So basically, experiences lead to finding a meaning (or not). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luftwaffe Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 Set some goals and don't let yourself out of them. Don't let yourself procrastinate and make sure you do what you want to. This sort of generic advice almost never works. It's simply a case of easier said than done. Anyway, this sort of endeavour is not to be taken lightly. For those of us who truly want to become a "better person", it requires tremendous fortitude. Education can only take you so far (actually, it'll probably end in complete disaster). Ugh... it does get irritating when you hear of all these child prodigies who've had the privilege of receiving extra support from their wealthy parents. Oh well, so long as one continues the journey, at least he is almost certain to make some progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightmare Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 (edited) If it's not really hurting anything, I guess you could be fine with it. But like Samias said, it has a possibility of hurting you in the long run. You may just be thinking this right now because you're young. What about four years later? What are you going to think then? Think hard about it, and about your future. You may lose a lot if you're just being short-sighted. For myself, all I really want is to have peace of mind, do things I enjoy and be with people whose company I enjoy. To that end, I'm willing to go far, but not so far that I rob myself of what little peace I currently have. I guess I also want to become the strongest. Edited December 29, 2012 by Nightmare Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tamanoir Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 Wait... Is it because you find life too hard, or because you don't have the energy for anything ? And finding something to really motivates you is hard. I spent a lot of time not knowing what to do of my life... I'm not exactly sure of myself, even now... Don't you find motivation on games or other hobbies ? I'm also an "underachiever", so I end up doing everything at the last moment. Even in games, I absolutely don't want chalenge... Becoming a "better person" is a pretty abstract concept, if you ask me. What you really want is to be fine with yourself. Things get better, eventually. It will probably takes time, and you may have to touch the bottom before being able to be more or less fine with yourself. You still have alot of time to find your way and be fine with yourself. I'm just trying to do this myself, and I'm not really older than you... ...Anyway, there's a large spectrum between underachieving and overachieving, and I don't think overachiever are happier with themselves than underachiever. I guess,you should try to at least do the minimum expected for you and grow from there... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deleted35362 Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 What is it really, that makes overachievers want to be able to do those kind of things, to achieve many things and be the best they can? What motivates them to do so? I dedicated my life to music when I realized that everything else in the world in insignificant. I lost all interested in finding a mate or having friends to "hang out" with. Both are a hindrance to my progress as a growing musician, especially since I haven't been into music for very long. I need to grow every day. If I can't create music, then my miserable life is devoid of worth. Punishment for failure is death. Not joking one bit. Dedication through a sense of purpose is how people over-achieve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.