What can be so special about a go getter? After all, aren’t they just people who care about nothing but reaching specific goals?
While it certainly might seem like it, there’s much more substance to a go-getter than it might seem. Unfortunately, this concept is often misunderstood. This outcome is also why people run away from go-getters, and they’re afraid of becoming one. But there’s nothing to be wary of. If you think you might be a go-getter, don’t listen to all the stereotypes. Instead, read on to find out what behaviors you display without realizing it.
What Does It Mean To Be A Go Getter?
Commonly, a go-getter is known as a person who is goal-oriented to a fault. Some might even call them “aggressively enterprising people.” They are seen as very energetic and determined to be successful.
Unfortunately, many stereotypes surround the go-getter personality. They are considered vicious, cold, and cut-throat. Many people think that go-getters will step on everyone who stands in their way to get to what they want. And if that’s not the misconception, then they are called workaholics. People seem to think that go-getters can’t have a fun and well-rounded social life.
This perception all stems from the façade that go-getters create. They have an “eye on the prize” mentality, and they work hard to stay focused. Just because they don’t make jokes at work doesn’t mean they don’t know how to have fun. They know there’s a time to be serious and a time to have fun. They choose to work as hard as possible until they reach their goals, even if that means sacrificing fun for a while.
Go-getters’ main struggle is that other people don’t understand them. As a regular person, it’s hard to empathize with their need to sacrifice their short-term pleasure for more significant goals. That’s why they have to deal with being outsiders. If you’re a go-getter, you know how this feels. You don’t have time to give people the attention they need, so they distance themselves from you.
3 Behaviors A Go Getter Displays Without Realizing It
If you are a go getter, you probably think you know everything there is to know about your personality. But you might display a few behaviors you weren’t aware of.
1. Go Getters Have A Lot Of Fears
At first glance, this might seem either unrealistic or undesirable. How is it possible that someone who goes all-in for their goals is also afraid? And why is that even a good thing?
If you’re a go-getter, you might even be confused or outright offended by this possibility. Obviously, you can’t be afraid. What you might not know is that, for many go-getters, fear fuels your sense of purpose. You might not be aware of those fears, but they are there.
Some people view fear as a weakness. Many people don’t think people who have many fears possess leadership qualities. But that’s not the case for go-getters. For them, it’s the thing that grounds them to reality. Because they dream big, fears act as a check and balance mechanism. Your brain uses fear as a reminder of your limitations. This way, it subconsciously stops you from taking unnecessary risks. It pushes you to be practical and prevents you from wasting your time on projects that have no pay-off. Thus, you might display pragmatic behavior without even knowing.
Growing from your fears
Fear acts like a voice in the back of your mind telling you not to pursue something. Because of that, it’s easy to miss the actual reason why you act with caution in certain situations. But a go-getter should be aware of their fears. They are some of the only people who can use fear as an asset. Fear empowers them.
Knowing how far you are willing to go to reach something gives you an edge in decision-making. You don’t have to spend hours dwelling on the pros and cons of a decision because fear has already created clear boundaries for you. It also produces high standards for you and those around you. It makes the perfect balance between aiming high but not too high.
Being afraid also pushes you to be inventive when trying to work around an issue. Because you don’t want to let minor setbacks stop you in your tracks, you will get creative. If one solution doesn’t work, you will drop it and go to the next possibility. This makes you incredibly resourceful in the long run.
The more you become aware of what your fears are, the better you get to know yourself. And a go-getter fully connected to who they are is unstoppable.
2. Go-Getters Fail Often And Fail Hard
They might not realize it, but go-getters are the champions of failing. Again, how is that a good thing? Isn’t the whole point of being a go-getter to reach specific goals? Exactly because that’s the goal. You should be able to roll with the punches if you want to be a go-getter.
Most people take on something, fail, and then never try to do anything like that again. Failure is usually the most effective way to stop someone’s efforts. But not for go-getters. The more they fail, the stronger they come back. The ability to take everything in stride and persevere is what makes them exceptional.
Failure is not the end of your efforts, as many people would believe. If used correctly, it’s the most effective learning tool out there. Say you’re trying to start a business. Entrepreneurial training can only get you so far. You need to get out there, put your ideas into practice, and accept that you will fail sometimes.
Learning life lessons after a failure
The harder you fail, the more you can learn. And you can’t create something great without taking enormous risks. Of course, this doesn’t mean taking stupid risks. Even the most significant risks are still calculated. Failing tests and improves go-getters’ perseverance and flexibility. The better you can bounce back after a fall, the better suited you will be for the next task you take on.
Something great about go-getters is that they are unconcerned about what could go wrong. They understand loss is just a part of fulfilling a greater sense of purpose. They don’t care if others see them fail. Besides that, they aren’t bothered if their image gets stained by those failures, and so they aim far beyond fast, short-term accomplishments. They aren’t concerned about what their peers think of them. This confidence allows them to do whatever they need without having to stress about disappointing anyone.
If you’re a go-getter and you don’t think you display this behavior, think again. How do you act when something goes south? Do you give up and go back to your safe space? Or do you get up and try again? If you answered with the latter, you could be sure you’re a true hustler.
3. Go Getters Aren’t The Loudest In The Room
You might think that a person who puts their goals above everything will have an inflated ego. You might believe they want to make their presence known at all times. But go-getters know when to be patient. They also know that preserving their energy is more important than being heard at all times. That’s why they don’t bother being the loudest in the room. Instead, they try to be the most resourceful.
While go-getters will fight tooth and nail for what they believe in, they’re fighting a war. They know they don’t have to win every single battle to win the war. Instead, they need to approach issues strategically. Say they’re in a business meeting. They know there’s no need to jump in whenever they get an opening.
Fighting with people isn’t going to get them closer to their goals. Listening, taking mental notes, preparing a coherent argument, and expressing their opinion concisely is a much better tactic. They want people to remember what they said. So, they go for quality over quantity. If you talk for ten minutes, but you say virtually nothing, you didn’t accomplish anything. But if you spoke for three minutes persuasively, you can be sure you got your point across.
Moreover, they’re more concerned with coming up with plans rather than engaging in irrelevant fights. Whenever they encounter a problem, rather than arguing about it, they use their time to develop unique perspectives. If in a meeting everyone has been fighting for half an hour, and the go-getter was silent and contemplative, you can be sure they’re cooking up something.
After all, that time spent fighting, the only one who will develop a strategy will be the go-getter. Their ability to listen and analyze situations with a clear mind allows them to get creative and figure out the best course of action. Most go-getters don’t even notice that they do this. But it comes from their innate inclination towards being analytical. They would instead leave their mark pragmatically, build something, reach a goal, then be heard for a minute and forgotten in the next.
Final Thoughts On Some Behaviors A Go Getter Displays Without Realizing It
Go-getters have certain innate qualities that make them purpose-driven, qualities they don’t even know about. Their brain is hardwired so that they act in the best ways to reach their goals without realizing it. Some of these qualities might even seem incompatible with the core values of a go-getter. But they’re all complementary, and together they create a person fully equipped to accomplish big things.
Because of how realistic they are, they have many fears. But, unlike other people who lose their nerve when afraid, go-getters are fuelled by it. Fear is what keeps them grounded while also motivating them. When go-getters fail, they fail hard. But they take every failure and learn from it. They get better every try. And they are unbothered by the risks they take because they know every risk is calculated.
Lastly, they don’t bother making themselves heard whenever possible. The go getter would instead accomplish pragmatic things and prefer to be seen rather than heard.
