High Achievers know how to get things done. They are disciplined and have a strong desire to succeed. These innate qualities often propel them into success stories. Indeed, we owe many of the world's groundbreaking innovations to the efforts of High Achievers. But the life of a High Achiever is not always as idyllic as it seems. Some High Achievers suffer, for their need to succeed can develop into a dependency - a quest for the "high" derived from achievement, leaving their lives without joy.

What makes some High Achievers chase the high of achievement? In my experience, deep-seated feelings of unworthiness are the root cause. When High Achievers are caught in a strong sense of feeling unworthy, achieving can become their coping mechanism. To counteract feelings of inferiority, High Achievers may leverage their intellectual qualities and maintain a persistent and high level of achievement, which generates feelings of satisfaction. Although this strategy is effective in the short term, it is unsustainable over time. As the euphoria from achievement fades, those burdened by unworthiness find themselves compelled to achieve repeatedly. This relentless cycle ultimately transforms a High Achiever into someone chasing the "high" of achievement.

To live a more joyful and fulfilled life, a High Achiever thus needs to process feelings of unworthiness. This generally requires healing the inner child - the integral part of the subconscious that influences our adult thoughts and behaviors, as feelings of unworthiness are often the result of adverse childhood experiences. An example of an adverse childhood experience that is common in Western culture is emotional neglect. In one of my next blogs, I will explain how emotional neglect can lead to feelings of unworthiness.