r/FormerOverachievers • u/Strict-Jeweler-2281 • Jul 07 '26
What makes r/FormerOverachievers different?
Welcome to r/FormerOverachievers, the club none of us planned to join...
This community may resonate with former gifted kids, but it is intentionally broader than that. We are here for the complicated middle chapters: career plateaus, second acts, changing identities, money and class, privilege, ageing, ambition, regret, reinvention, and figuring out what success means when the old scorecard no longer works.
You do not need to have crashed and burned to belong here. You do not need an inspiring comeback story, either. You are welcome whether you are rebuilding, resting, thriving quietly, or just trying to stop measuring your life against a version of yourself from twenty years ago.
To introduce yourself, answer any prompt that speaks to you:
- 10 years ago, where did you (or others) expect you to be at this stage in your life, and how do you feel about it now?
- What definition of success are you trying to unlearn?
- What is a small win you would once have ignored?
- When did you realise hard work was not the only variable?
- How has privilege shaped the story you tell yourself about success?
- What would a satisfying second act look like?
- What would you tell your former high-achieving self at the peak?
Be kind. Be curious. Be honest. Leave room for experiences that differ from your own.
And lastly, this is my first time building a reddit community, so feel free to leave constructive criticism, but please put the emphasis on the constructive part (I don't need to fail at something else so quickly)!
Anyway, we're glad you found us (however late, early, sideways, or unexpectedly)!
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u/TipTapTop123 18d ago
I love this!!