History has seen people which were destined for greatness. Many left their marks on the face of earth. A few stand out till to this date. Most famous overachievers of them all are…..

Top 5 overachievers which are most famous in history

5. Pablo Escobar

4. Leonardo da Vinci

3. Napoleon Bonaparte

2. Hitler

1. Alexander the Great

Pablo Escobar:

History’s most feared drug lord with a drug empire bigger than his government. In 1980’s around 80% of world’s cocaine supply was solely supplied by Pablo.

 The “king of cocaine” smuggled around 15 tons of cocaine in US every day. Just to give you an idea of the amount of money he way making, He spent 2500$ monthly to get rubber bands to stack up his money.

10% of his money was lost because to rats and water damaged it. That ridiculous amount of money placed him in Forbe’s list for international billionaires for seven straight years.

One time while hiding his family from police in some abandoned building, Escobar set fire to 2 million dollars to keep her daughter warm

He once made a deal with the Columbian government to be prisoned but in a prison made by himself. That “La Catedral” contained a night club, casino, and even a spa.

He rose from nothing. His mother was a school teacher while father was a farmer. This badass overachiever was famous not only in Colombia but also across the world. 

Here’s a picture of him standing in front of White House with his daughter when he was on the most wanted list of America.

Pablo Ecobar once said “All empires are created of blood and fire.”

Leonardo da Vinci:

Da Vinci’s cause of fame across the whole world will always be his paintings. “Monalisa” .“The last supper” and “the Vitruvian Man”.

Little is known about the versatile areas he touched including science & technology, sculpture, architecture, mathematics, engineering, literature, anatomy, music, geology, astronomy, botany, paleontology, and cartography. 

Leonardo was known to be ambidextrous. He could not only write and draw with both hands but also developed a technique to write in such a way that his writings can only be read in a mirror.

His inventions included parachute, armored vehicle, underwater diving suit, pulley, a technique for concentrating solar power and water-powered mill. But this is just the tip of the iceberg.

This Italian overachiever did all this without any formal education. The genious left a visible footprint in the history.

Bill gates with Codex Leicester

Bill gate purchased his manuscript named “Codex Leicester” in an auction for $40 million. Da Vinci’s paintings are worth much more than this.

Leonardo Da Vinci famously said “He who thinks little, errs much.”

Napoleon Bonaparte:

This overachiever was of French descend. At feeble age of 16 years he became a second lieutenant in French army. His career was full of astounding accomplishments.

He rose France to power and provided it a grip over the whole European continent. Napoleon’s exemplary works in the field of battle are unparalleled. 

In his reign, transportation and communication systems were improved. He laid a foundation for a better future for France.

France was modernized under his reigns. He introduced factories in France. Network of roads and canals was laid. 

Napoleon’s works provided the country with many new laws including laws for the protection of private property. The major work that added him into the list of famous overachievers includes golden principles of administration known to be the Napoleon code. These are the cornerstone of his work.

“The reason most people fail instead of succeed is they trade what they want most for what they want at the moment.” Napoleon bonaparte

Adolf Hitler:

Hitler may be a very absurd choice for overachiever’s list but whatever he does, he was very successful at it. Hitler was so successful that he has become a household name. 

He was the mastermind behind WWII and the holocaust, resulting in a death count of 40 million people at the very least. 

He rose an empire from ashes He rose an empire from ashes. He gave heartbroken and weak Germans hope after WWI. Hitler made European union his bitch for a few years. 

This man was indirectly the cause of why the atomic bomb came into being. Isreal got created as a result of his actions. Great Britain lost it’s colonies and wasn’t great anymore. 

The world learnt a lesson to nip the evil in the bud, United nations came into existence. 

This man changed the face of the earth for good. Hitler was pure evil but still, he was an overachiever working for the devil part-time. 


Alexander the Great:

Age is just a number for most of the overachievers. Alexander was 20 years old when he rose to power after the death of his father. He lead Macedonia to a series of unending victories.

Alexander had a royal lineage from both sides. He had Aristotle as a teacher. This sparked his interest in literature. Alexander learnt and embodied some portion of every major civilization that he conquered.

Never in his life, he lost a single battle. He ruled more than half of the world. Alexander renamed more than 70 cities on his name. His achievements justify his top position in the list of famous overachievers.

His military strategies are studied till to the date. His empire from Greece to India was spread across about 20 million square miles

I had rather excel others in the knowledge of what is excellent, than in the extent of my power and dominion.” Alexander the Great

what motivates overachievers?

Overachievers are driven by an instinct to show they are worthy. Overachiever’s psychology is a complex arena. It’s a mixture of obsession and sacrifice.

Most of the famous overachievers want fame. They can’t stand to be inferior to others. The desire of recognition propels them. Overachiever’s life set on a path to eradicate the anonymous tag. 

What distinguishes the overachiever from normal beings is his undying will. They have an obsession with winning. These are self-centered individuals mostly who are not build to work under someone.

When overachievers accomplish a task, it gives them great joy. One which couldn’t be replaced. This sense of achievement also keeps them focused.

Overachievers and anxiety

The goals and standards set by overachievers are unimaginably high. When those goals aren’t reached self-destruction begins.

Self-improvement is a good thing and is recommended in many cases but in the case of overachievers, it leads to criticism and anxiety.

Whatever they achieve, overachievers almost always feel insecure about their triumphs. Depression is one way where it leads.

They rarely take the time to celebrate what they labored for. Thus overachievers are physically, mentally, and emotionally a burnout.

Overachievers are considered annoying as they expect everyone to hold up to their standards. Performance of an uptight overachiever is affected by the things he’s going through which worsens the case.

Overachiever’s guilt

Taking a day off for your self is a part of a healthy routine. This golden rule is neglected by overachievers.

Whenever an overachiever is free, there’s always a feeling of guilt. It’s like cheating in a game. This guilt makes them directionless and empty.

Also, overachievers just hate failure. Failure is never an option. This prevention from failure psychology makes them limit their learning process.

When overachievers fail, they consider their whole previous successes just a stroke of luck and take away all the credit and hard work they put into the cause.

Overachievers are considered either badass or simply bad depending on the level of success they have achieved.  That’s why failing or losing or giving up is never an option.


Overachievers can hurt a relationship. To them, only work is at the top of the priority list. Time is always essential for an overachiever, so sacrifices will have to be made.  They keep on chasing a moving target and in this wild chase they lose sight of who they started with.

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