How to Be a High Achiever in Work, School & Life

The most effective ways to channel your diligence and achieve your goals

Co-authored by Leah Morris

Last Updated: December 7, 2022 References

Have you ever wondered if you’re really reaching your greatest potential? The good news is that just by wanting to be a higher achiever, you’re already on the path to being one. In this article, we’ll highlight the most effective ways to improve your mindset and work ethic so you can reach all of your goals. If you’re ready to follow your ambition, take the first step and read on!

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Changing Your Mindset

1
Take responsibility for your success. One of the most common characteristics of a high achiever is the personal responsibility she takes for her own success or failure.^{[1]
X
Research source} High achievers tend to see ambition as the biggest factor that determines success, and tend to avoid blaming external factors like resources or circumstances.^{[2]
X
Research source}
- To a high achiever, the only thing limiting the potential for success is ambition and dedication.^{[3]
  X
  Research source}
2
Learn to see challenges as opportunities. Many people tend to think of challenges and demanding tasks as a threat. They see these things as being a potential cause of failure. A high achiever, however, sees challenges as opportunities to learn and grow.^{[4]
X
Research source}
- Instead of dwelling on the possibility of failure and how to avoid it, try focusing on pursuing success. Even a simple change in perspective like this can help motivate you to take chances and pursue a meaningful achievement.^{[5]
  X
  Research source}
- If you want to be a high achiever, always remember that anything worthwhile in life is going to be difficult. It will take hard work and dedication, but ultimately, it will be worth your effort.^{[6]
  X
  Research source}
Advertisement
3
Find ways to enjoy your work. No matter what you do, it's important that you learn to enjoy working on demanding tasks.^{[7]
X
Research source} Rather than seeing work as stressful, learn to see work as an exercise in concentration and commitment.^{[8]
X
Research source}
- Find ways to challenge yourself. Develop new skills that can be applied to everyday work tasks. You can do this by trying different techniques to accomplish the same tasks. Work-related tasks that do not involve any kind of variation or challenge can quickly feel tedious and never-ending.^{[9]
  X
  Research source}
- Try to take pride in your work. Rather than thinking about the tedium of your job, or dwelling on cynical thoughts about your day-to-day assignments, train yourself to actively think highly of what you do. You can work on this in little ways by simply finding value in the work you perform, no matter what that job is.^{[10]
  X
  Research source}
- Take stock in the things you accomplish at work each day. Try making a list for yourself of everything you got through before you leave work. It will help give you perspective about both your role within the company and the kind of impact your job has on others.^{[11]
  X
  Research source}
4
Avoid perfectionism. It's imperative that you push yourself to grow and learn in order to achieve success, but you should not let yourself become a perfectionist. Perfectionists tend to set unrealistically high standards for themselves and others, and end up feeling defeated if they cannot achieve complete perfection. This type of mindset can actually be damaging, and may prevent you from ever accomplishing anything by creating unattainable goals.^{[12]
X
Research source}
- Learn to recognize perfectionist thought patterns. If you have trouble meeting your goals or feel frustrated/upset when you can't meet your own expectations, you may be engaging in perfectionist thinking.^{[13]
  X
  Research source}
- Be realistic. Try to scale back unreasonable expectations that you've created for yourself, and learn to let go of the way you think it should ideally be done perfectly.^{[14]
  X
  Research source}
- Challenge yourself to engage in situations where you know you may fail. That doesn't mean allowing yourself to not meet your professional goals, but it does mean learning to accept small failures as an unavoidable part of life.^{[15]
  X
  Trustworthy Source
  American Psychological Association
  Leading scientific and professional organization of licensed psychologists
  Go to source}

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Developing a Work Ethic

1
Always seek to improve. A high achiever is always trying to improve her skills and improve the quality of her work. Rather than thinking of a skill as something innate, learn to think of a skill as something that requires constant practice and improvement.^{[16]
X
Research source}
- Rather than feeling insecure about your talents, focus on what you can improve each day. Then work towards getting better or more proficient at everything you do.^{[17]
  X
  Research source}
- Even if you're not getting motivation to do better at work, you can provide your own motivation. Coach yourself on seeking to correct the minor mistakes that might slip through despite your day-to-day efforts. If you need help with this, try asking your immediate supervisor for more thorough feedback and suggestions on how you can improve your work.^{[18]
  X
  Research source}
- No matter what you do or where you are, always seek to learn from others and from your own experiences.^{[19]
  X
  Research source}
- Put yourself in challenging situations, and learn how to adapt to any environment or condition.^{[20]
  X
  Research source}
2
Be persistent and patient. High achievers know that success takes time and dedication, but it also takes a great deal of patience.^{[21]
X
Research source} Even if you experience set backs or flat-out failures, it's important to remember that these are merely obstacles on the path to success.^{[22]
X
Research source}
- Some of the most successful people have overcome incredible obstacles and repeated failures before achieving their dreams. JK Rowling was rejected by her publishers many times before she got her first book published. Bill Gate's first business failed.^{[23]
  X
  Research source} Yet neither of these famous achievers let those setbacks keep them from attaining success.
- Remember that you may not see immediate rewards in your endeavors. That is no reason to give up, though. If anything, you should change your outlook to let setbacks or minor failures motivate you even more.^{[24]
  X
  Research source}
3
Learn to collaborate. Being a high achiever requires a great deal of personal motivation and a strong work ethic. But it also requires an ability to work with others. It may sound counterintuitive, but success often hinges on a motivated person's ability to unify other people around a vision or goal.^{[25]
X
Research source}
- Trust is an essential part of any collaboration. Learn to let go of some project control, and have faith that your colleague will work her hardest to help you succeed on the project.
- Clear communication can help colleagues work together. In fact, clear communication can help most work-related tasks get done more efficiently.^{[26]
  X
  Trustworthy Source
  American Psychological Association
  Leading scientific and professional organization of licensed psychologists
  Go to source}
- Get to know your co-collaborators on a more personal level. Often times finding shared interests or life experiences can bond a group and help the individual co-collaborators work together more effectively.^{[27]
  X
  Trustworthy Source
  American Psychological Association
  Leading scientific and professional organization of licensed psychologists
  Go to source}
- Collaboration can take many forms. It may involve partners and coworkers, or it may involve employees, customers, and investors. Whomever you need to surround yourself with to achieve your goals, learn to work with others and rally them around your vision.^{[28]
  X
  Research source}

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Cultivating Achievement and Success

1
Set SMART goals. A high achiever tends to work on day-to-day goals that will help her succeed on her bigger, longer-term goals. One of the most effective goal-writing strategies is called creating S.M.A.R.T. goals: specific, measurable, achievable, results-focused, and time-bound.^{[29]
X
Research source}
- Specific - make your goals explicitly clear and simple for yourself.^{[30]
  X
  Research source} For example, rather than desiring to be more productive, specify that you would like to finish a manuscript and send it to your editor.
- Measurable - as you develop your goals, work to ensure that they are measurable. That way you can track your progress, and have a clear picture of how much more work is still necessary.^{[31]
  X
  Research source} For example, work until you've completed 10 pages of new material each day.
- Achievable - while your goals should challenge you to some extent, they should still be defined in such a way that you can accomplish those goals.^{[32]
  X
  Research source} For example, instead of wanting to be a best-selling author overnight, make it your goal to finish and submit a complete manuscript.
- Results-focused - your goals should be determined by their outcomes. Be clear from the start what you want to achieve, and how (specifically) you can accomplish those goals.^{[33]
  X
  Research source} For example, after you've completed a manuscript, you'll need to work with an editor or publisher. The goal shouldn't be to become a world-famous author, it should be to have a publishing contract lined up.
- Time-bound - give yourself a realistic time frame. Your deadlines should be close enough that they create a sense of urgency, but not so close that you will not be able to realistically accomplish those goals.^{[34]
  X
  Research source} For example, rather than hoping to achieve success overnight, give yourself 12 months to finish and submit a manuscript.
2
Be willing to change directions. When you're driven to achieve a specific goal, it may seem illogical to even think about changing directions. But a high achiever knows that sometimes, when things aren't working well or have the potential to go off the rails down the line, you need to rethink your strategy. In some cases, you may have to scrap all of your plans and reevaluate how you can achieve that goal.^{[35]
X
Research source}
- If you find yourself feeling bored, restless, or a vague sense of anxiety while working toward your goals, it may be time to step back and rethink your approach.^{[36]
  X
  Research source}
- Changing directions does not mean giving up. It may mean altering how you approach your challenges, or it may mean adapting to changing circumstances. Whatever needs to be done in order to meet your goals, keep pushing yourself and never give up.^{[37]
  X
  Research source}
3
Step out of your comfort zone. One of the best ways to push yourself to succeed is by stepping outside of your usual comfort zone. You can start doing this in small ways, and work your way up to bigger accomplishments. Studies show that learning a new skill, or even learning new ways to accomplish a task, combined with collaborative work, result in a smarter, sharper, and more confident individual.^{[38]
X
Research source}
- Begin stepping outside of your comfort zone in low-stakes personal situations. You can pick up a new hobby and join a group of like-minded people, for example. As you get comfortable reaching outside your comfort zone, you can expand that practice to your work environment.
- Aim for a middle ground between familiarity and anxiety. Don't push yourself to the point where you may have a panic attack, but be sure to challenge yourself, even if it means feeling somewhat uncomfortable.^{[39]
  X
  Research source}
4
Go the extra distance. Many high achievers are successful because they push themselves further than the competition. That doesn't necessarily mean becoming a workaholic, but it does mean being willing to keep going no matter what. If you find yourself exhausted and you feel incapable of doing any more work on your project, put in another 15 minutes before you call it a day. If you can do this everyday, those 15 minutes will stack up very quickly.^{[40]
X
Research source}

Expert Q&A

Question

Is it bad to be a high achiever?

Leah Morris
Life Coach
Leah Morris is a Life and Relationship Transition coach and the owner of Life Remade, a holistic personal coaching service. With over three years as a professional coach, she specializes in guiding people as they move through both short-term and long-term life transitions. Leah holds a BA in Organizational Communication from California State University, Chico and is a certified Transformational Life Coach through the Southwest Institute for Healing Arts.

Leah Morris

Life Coach

Expert Answer

Not necessarily, as long as you have healthy goals. Many high achievers work themselves too hard because they want to prove themselves to other people. If you focus on achieving goals for yourself and nobody else, you'll find it's easier to enjoy your work and feel satisfied with what you've done.