Why High Achievers Can't Stop Overthinking

If you’re someone who sets big goals, holds yourself to a high standard, and wants to get things “just right,” overthinking may feel familiar.

You overthink, not because it means there’s something wrong with you, but because your brain is wired for your high-achieving and, thanks to our primal brain, protection.

So on one hand, you know you want to do big things and do them well. But on the other hand, your subconscious wants to protect your reputation, making your fear of blunders and missteps real momentum stoppers.

Here's why high achievers get stuck in a loop of overthinking that makes their goals even harder to get:

1. You Value Excellence & Fear Mistakes (and your ego knows it!) You’ve likely tied success to performance, so the fear of getting it wrong triggers a spiral of hesitation. (‘What will others think??’) Overthinking becomes a shield against this possible judgment.

2. You Were Rewarded for Thinking Your Way to Success In school or work, the smarter and more prepared you were, the better the outcome. (I was a teacher for 9 years. I know all about this…) But in goal-getting, it’s not how smart you are, but how much intentional action you take.

3. You Confuse Overthinking with Being Thorough Double-checking every step feels responsible, but it often delays progress. It can lead to paralysis by analysis. Overthinking perfection is just procrastination in disguise.

4. You’re Wired for Control Overthinking gives you the illusion of control. But most big goals require action in the face of uncertainty. Building self-trust is more powerful than trying to predict every outcome.

5. You Misunderstand Mistakes I teach my clients that mistakes are just data — they show you one way that didn’t work. I’d rather see you try and not get the results you were hoping for than looping in overthinking at the start line any day.

Here’s the truth — You are a high achiever because you take action and get things done.

Overthinking is getting yourself caught in a thought loop of anxiety. It’s like running on a treadmill, but not going anywhere. It eats up your precious energy and it wastes your creativity on unproductive things.

Ask yourself: How many times have I changed my planned course of action because of overthinking?

My guess is not many.

You know that overthinking is not productive and feels really crummy.

So how do you stop it?

That's the topic of this week's Goal Getters Guide email newsletter. Subscribe here now.

Ready to get out of your overthinking loop so you can do those big things you are here to do? I can help. Schedule a time to chat here.

Jen Laffin is the founder of Goal Getter Solutions. She specializes in helping high achievers get over their self-doubt that holds them back. Learn more at www.JenLaffin.com.