The Tale of 2 Archetypes
Breaking the Cycle of Overthinking
Unveil the crucial differences between FEAR & SUCCESS on your academic learning journey.
Here’s a quick story of two different types of students.
One of them took action. The other didn’t.
Which one are you going to be?
The Overwhelmed Observer vs. The Proactive Achiever
For YEARS, I was paralyzed by one thing:
Overthinking.
Not even the ‘LET IT ALL GO’ tattoo helped. 🫠
My mind was a maze of "what-ifs," "maybes," “tomorrows” and "not yets."
But what broke the cycle?
The tale of two students…
STUDENT #1: The Overwhelmed Observer
Meet the Overwhelmed Observer.
They’ve got study plans that are 50 pages long, double-spaced, and filled with phrases like:
❌ ‘Comprehensive review’
❌ ‘In-depth analysis’
❌ And the particularly intimidating ‘exhaustive preparation’.
They’ve:
🤓 Read every study resource under the sun.
🤓 Listened to every major podcast on ‘SUCCESS’.
🤓 Attended every free webinar featuring top experts and household names.
In a nutshell: They’ve got it ALL planned out.
After months of meticulous planning, they finally feel ready to dive into their studies.
They set up their study space, craft the perfect schedule, and rearrange their pinterest–worthy notes a few times.
Then they sit back, and wait. And wait. And wait just a little while more.
Crickets. Nada. NOT A THING happens.
They tweak their study schedule again. Rewrite their revision plan. And pin all their hopes on ‘One Day’, willing themselves to overcome the regret that they: Zigged instead of zagged; Did A instead of B; Spent time on X instead of Y.
And still?
NOTHING…
STUDENT #2: The Proactive Achiever
Meanwhile, the Proactive Achiever has been seriously BUSY.
On day one, they registered for an online accountability study buddy, set up a basic study plan, and tackled their first assignment with hyper-focus.
Sure, they faced setbacks. They had to clarify their process with their lecturers, more than once. But they iterated. Revised. Adapted.
They tweaked their study methods, adjusted their strategies, and refined their approach.
Imposter syndrome loomed large. But they acknowledged it was a package deal on the road to academic success and pushed on.
And guess what?
They started:
✅ Gaining SERIOUS traction.
✅ Connecting with other proactive students and industry leaders in their field of study.
✅ Getting a swag of academic achievements that the naysayers said were beyond reach.
Before long, The Proactive Achiever had a consistent stream of excellent grades, a growing network, and even applied for a grant to work on their extra-credit project.
All while the Overwhelmed Observer was STILL stuck in the ‘playing small and safe lane’... Cutting laps of the ‘this’ll-never-work’ hamster wheel of DOOM.
The Moral of the Story
BOTH students faced the same weighty self-doubt and fears. Because Imposter Syndrome nibbles on the toes of LIT-ER-ALL-Y every student trekking towards the summit of Academic Success Mountain.
The difference?
The Proactive Achiever took action. 🦸🏻♀️
They didn't let fear win…
Or curl up in the lap of imposter syndrome to dwell on failures & missteps.
⭐️They SHOWED UP. Consistently. For themselves. Every single day.
⭐️They acknowledged the doubts, but continued moving forward.
⭐️ They reframed setbacks as learning opportunities, rather than failures.
See, both students faced similar challenges and fears, but their approaches to overcoming them were drastically different.
So, the next time you find yourself stuck in a cycle of overthinking, or cutting laps of the hamster wheel of Doom…
👉REMEMBER: Don't just plan. Act.
And for the sake of your success, leave overthinking curbside and LET IT ALL GO…