Are you a striver? And how to deal with it.

Are you ambitious: Are you often unstoppable? Diligent and industrious or maybe even a show-off? Then you might be a striver. A very nice feature, but it can get in your way. We will examine what being intrusive means and whether it influences stress and even burnout.

What does it mean to be striver?

Being a striver, means, you're unstoppable once you get stuck into something. You don't know when to stop or how to deal with it. You work hard, and you are performance-oriented.

Being ambitious comes from a good quality: being ambitious is a remarkable degree of drive. If you're a striver, you've lost it; it creates tension and unrest and can lead to burnout.

Pitfalls for strivers

There are several pitfalls for strivers. The biggest pitfall is that the focus is not internal but external. If you're an overachiever, you're constantly watching what others are doing. And not on what your qualities and developments are.

Sometimes mediocre is better.

It's a wonderful feeling to be the best at something. But in our individualistic society, everyone wants to be the best at everything. Children want to become successful vloggers. Adults want to have the highest position. And even if you don't have that feeling yourself – society will talk to you about this feeling.

But sometimes you don't have to be the best at all. In a team, mediocrity is sometimes better itself. Psychologists Adam Galinsky and Roderick Swaab investigated this and came up with the too-much-talent effect. With multiple talents in a team, the team's results only got worse. Therefore, it is better to focus on working together rather than on your own success in a team. Be aware of your talent, be a star at it, but try not to show off too much in other corners.

P power and S power

Coinciding with the ideas of neuropsychologist Ian Robertson. He conducted research into the impact of success on your brain. According to Robertson, there are two kinds of power needs: the p-power and the s-power. The p-power stands for personal power. Your own need to win. You are ambitious, and you look for status. You want dominance and try to measure your identity by your success. The s-power stands for social power. You want to achieve a goal with a group.

If your s-power is greater than your p-power, you can see that you don't always have to be in the foreground. Your focus is on collaboration.

Tips for working better together as a pusher.

If you are an overachiever, it can be unpleasant for your colleagues, sports buddies, or even your family. Since your p-power predominates, focus on your own need to win. Not getting in the way of others and not focusing on the team's success.

Try to pay attention to the following points:

Go for the win as a team.

Think carefully about the ultimate goal. Do you have a target as a team? Is there a big event coming up? Make sure you do the job as best you can with the rest of your team. Put your ego aside.

Listen to your own needs.

Let go of your achievements every day. For example, plan an hour every evening to do something you enjoy that does not involve achievement. For example, do you like to draw or write? Then do it for an hour. The result does not have to be good or beautiful. It's just a matter of taking time and deal with your own needs.

Help with burnout and stress.

Reducing stress, preventing or recovering from burnout is no mean feat. If you need support, you can count on my help. I can work with you on prevention or your recovery. You will enjoy the result of our 1-on-1 coaching for a lifetime!