There are so many resources available for people who want to achieve greatness. These people are willing to work hard, and they want to hear tips from some of the most successful people in the world. These books provided tips that range from all the things you should do before 5:00 am to tips on staying energized by your purpose to be amazing at whatever you are working towards.
We have reached a point where over-performing is tied to burnout, and people are finally starting to adjust corporate life to address this exact issue. So, what do you do when you have been working this “high-performance” way of life for decades, and it is time to stop?
It isn’t rhetorical, I am actually asking because I can seem to manage it!
The Accidental High-Performer
Without any training or books suggesting how to be someone who just crushes it every day, I became an “accidental high-performer.” I know that doesn’t sound humble or may just sound way too cocky, but I am not saying that it is a good thing.
I am here at 3:00 am, sitting in front of a computer, and I don’t have work I need to be doing. I mean, I always have something I “could” be working on, but I recently moved from a life of Salaried positions to an hourly position. An hourly position where I am not allowed to work over 40 hours a week. So, I was “forced” to take a step back and create balance in my life.
In a salaried position, I would usually work about four hours each morning before anyone else started their day at 8:00 am. I don’t have an alarm to wake me up… 4:00 am BAM, I am awake. What I do have, is an alarm on my phone that reminds me when it is an appropriate time to send other people messages. I learned over the past five years of working remotely that people don’t like it when you start sending emails and Slack messages at 3-4:00 am.
When You Come From Nothing
I am not really sure how I became this person. I was raised to believe that being beautiful and marrying rich was how I would be successful in life. Honestly, the “it’s painful to be beautiful” words roll through my mind as if she was screaming, “no more wire hangers.” I am sure many of you won’t get the reference, but it is a very appropriate comparison!
Maybe a more well-known reference would be “Lady Featherington” from Bridgeterton, forcing the corset to be tighter and tighter so that her daughters would be ready to basically be traded to the highest bidder. No real thought for how intelligent women could be, or what they could offer outside of marrying well.
I started working my first “real” job as soon as I turned 15 years old and spent my paychecks buying groceries for my siblings. Even before I was legally old enough to work, I did work a lot. Just don’t tell the IRS… well…. I guess they would have to go after my mom for all of that babysitting/odd-job work, and good luck to them finding a way to do that! Sorry, I have a weird sense of humor. You get used to it, or you don’t, and you stop reading anything I write. Either way, it’s there!
When You Fall - You Fall HARD
I sit here writing this to keep myself from working on something for my new job because even though this is only technically my eighth full day of working in this new role, I already feel very behind. I could easily just “not” clock in and continue to try and get to a point where I don’t feel like I am falling behind or not performing to the high standards that I hold myself to. Actually, I thought about it and came very close to doing that when I stopped myself and moved to write out my thoughts.
Remember that sentence that sounded very boastful about crushing it every day? Well, for this Accidental High-Performer, when I can’t do something, it stresses me out to no end. I send Slack messages and emails detailing the issue I am having and apologizing repeatedly that I wasn’t able to figure it out on my own. It is weird because my leadership style is nothing like that. I encourage people to come to me with anything they need help with, and I will drop everything to help them. I would never want someone to feel guilty for asking for help, but here I am, feeling guilty that someone else may have a little extra stress or a little extra work because I didn’t just start on day one at a brand new job and just “know” how to do everything and how to get it all done in a 40-hour work week.
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