Overachiever vs High Achiever (Ms. K vs Keisa)

Overachievers are unconsciously fulfilling a need they have for approval and recognition. Their desire to get the approval from other people prevents them from living the life they want to live. It's all about proving themselves to someone else verses building their own lives. Overachievers do not believe that who they are is enough, so they go looking for achievements to make them feel better about themselves. Overachievers focus on what's still missing.

White, J (1999, March 12). Stop Overachieving! Be A High Achiever . Retrieved June 8, 2008, from The JWC Group Web site: http://web.archive.org/web/20010210004814/http://lists.jwcgroup.com/newsletter/abetterway/listArchive/Broadcast.D19990312.html

High achievers are confident of their talents and are able to enjoy their hard work and the success it brings.
Grabmeier, J (1998). Overachievers find success comes with a psychological price. Retrieved June 8, 2008, Web site: http://web.archive.org/web/19981202073241/http://www.acs.ohio-state.edu/units/research/archive/achiever.htm

Today I stumbled upon these two terms and had an a-ha moment. I definitely fit the profile of an "overachiever" with a twist of "impostor syndrome". I never feel like I am done with anything that I do. And then when I finish, everyone loves it, but I secretly believe that anyone could have done it. Last week, one of my colleagues called me obsessive compulsive. I was initially offended...until I thought about my problem-solving approach: I NEVER give up until I solve the problem.

I love being a school librarian. I get a rush when I witness my students learning. I love researching and finding resources for my teachers. What I can't figure out is how to turn work off when I get home and how to push that overachiever to the side to make way for the real me underneath.