Overachieving may be symptomatic.

Suffering from low self-esteem is common. Some of it may be blamed on growing up in families affected by alcohol or other drugs. Perhaps the criticism heaped on us at school or in a bad marriage triggered it. We may have thousands of reasons for lacking a sense of our worth. The bottom line is, we were insecure and full of doubt - good breeding ground for the superstar achiever.

Much good occasionally comes from low self-esteem. Working really hard, excelling in many extracurricular activities, being available when a favor is asked - these are common characteristics of people with low self-esteem.

The program is spiritually based, and in it we are introduced to a Higher Power. Many of us didn’t have one before, at least not one we relied on, to help us feel better about ourselves. We are learning to turn to our Higher Power every day for peaceful assurance that we are loved, that we are being taken care of. In time we’ll grow to love ourselves, and then we’ll be free of the need to overachieve.

I will accept my worthiness today and trust that my Higher Power has something wonderful in store for me.

From the book:

A Life of My Own by Karen Casey

Man, I can’t count how many times I’ve bent over backwards trying to impress people. I spent a good deal of my life trying to prove my worth to everyone around me. I didn’t realize that it was related to low self-esteem. I thought it was because I was such a great person. Ha! Well, of course I am a great person, but my motives weren’t entirely pure, I guess.

It’s nice to know I don’t have to do this any more. I don’t have to prove myself to anyone any more.

Today I will practice saying no.

There have been many times in my life when I wanted to say it but was afraid. Even now, I may still be afraid. But I will say it anyway if No is what I really mean.

When someone asks me a question or offers a suggestion, I will stop and think about what I want before I respond. I will practice saying no to myself first.

Do I really want to do the favor being asked of me? Is it okay with me that friends come to dinner? Is it good for me to attend a party or event?

When I learn to say no to myself in simple matters, it becomes easier to say no to others. There have been times I went along with others to avoid conflict, or because I didn’t know what I wanted.

Today I will listen to myself and express myself. I have the right to say no.

From the book:

Time to Break Free by Judith R. Smith

That’s one thing all addicts have a hard time with - saying no. My life was a series of yeses. Yes, you should take that drink. Yes, you should take that extra bite. Yes, you should over indulge in everything you come across. I didn’t really feel like I had a choice to say no to the monster that was my disease. I would try at first to use my will power to say no, but that, of course, never worked in the end. All the will power in the world isn’t strong enough to fight addiction. No matter what happens, it will always win over me. The only thing strong enough to overcome the disease is my Higher Power, in my experience.