Episode 103: Achiever Fever–How To Quit The Need to Succeed Without Losing Your Edge With Claire Booth

You’ve heard that winning isn’t everything but deep down you know that isn’t true. Striving to be the best is how you keep your edge.  In the last episode, I discussed the self-help industry’s positive thinking problem. In today’s episode of the Happier Approach, I discuss with Clair Booth, author of The Achiever Fever Cure: How I Learned to Stop Striving Myself Crazy, what it takes to start flourishing without being a high achiever.

Claire was a successful but stressed-out market research entrepreneur and executive suffering from what she calls "achiever fever"—constant striving coupled with chronic feelings of inadequacy. Sick and tired of feeling miserable--but ever the self-help skeptic--Claire decided to try anything that might bring relief, from mindfulness to martial arts, from spending ten days in silence to "smiling" at her spleen. At first, Claire was fearful that slowing down and softening up will mean losing her professional edge. 

Instead, she discovered a more joyful and purposeful life, one that also turns out to be good for business. 

Listen to the full episode to hear Claire and I discuss:

• What Achiever Fever is and how to know if we have it
• The dark side of being a high achiever
• Identifying and naming our inner judge
• Meditation and the life-changing act of chopping vegetables
• The connection between alcohol and anxiety
• Living life as opposed to just logging life
• And what we gain when we give up the Achiever Fever

Find out more about Claire Booth and the Achiever Fever at claireboothauthor.com. 

Some of the research and resources mentioned in this episode:

• The Achiever Fever Cure: How I Learned to Stop Striving Myself Crazy by Claire Booth
• The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle

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