Hey guys, this is a long post, but if you identify with the following, I feel I have a moral obligation to share what I discovered in the books by Christel Petitcollin about what she calls “surefficience”, roughly translated to over-efficiency.
Photo by Luca Campioni on Unsplash
For those who feel every little thing like it was happening to them, who feel anxious and guilty for the suffering of the world, who cannot stand someone being treated unfairly, and who find it hard to sleep, sometimes translating these traumas in nightmares.
For those who feel lonely at times because “something’s missing”, seeking depth and connection in their relationships, but often disappointed by others’ immaturity and shallow approach to living (simply different in reality).
For those who play a modeled version of themselves to “fit in”, desperately seeking approval from others to feel part of this world that’s unlike them, but also who tire quickly doing that.
For those who have been alienated growing up, and mocked because they were “too sensitive”, “too honest”, because they lived for perfection and justice, called naive or dumb.
For those who have a hard time respecting the authority of someone who goes against the values and principles of honesty and integrity (and kind of have to say something about it), and who have never really found their place at work.
You’re probably born with a mental structure that allows for this to happen; it’s not a bad thing — rather, it’s a gift. And just know you’re not alone.
Super senses. Super sensitivity. Super lucidity.
Over-efficient people are born with a mental structure that allows for hyperesthesia and sometimes, synesthesia.
Hyperesthesia is the ability to receive all the information caught through the five senses. Babies and children have this ability. Their brains are open to all stimuli to create the million connections it needs to learn and develop properly.
Usually, as the child becomes an adult, something in the brain inhibits this ability so it can sort the information, allow for the adult to become more focused and keep only the most relevant for his or her survival.
In some cases though, the brain does not inhibit this ability and some adults are still hyper-sensitive to environmental stimuli.
Jumping at loud noises, can’t stand some smells to the point that you cannot function, feeling oppressed in rooms that are too dark or too bright, or too humid or too dry, finding it hard to focus and not be distracted by all the information coming your way.
Yes, you’re probably a pain to others sometimes, but oh man, it’s such a pain for you!
Synesthesia is the ability to perceive a stimulus with more than one sense simultaneously and involuntarily. There are different kinds of synesthesias. I won’t be explaining all of them here but you can learn more here.
So being super-sensitive is definitely a hassle but it’s also an incredible ability that allows to “see through” many things, and to quickly grasp and translate non-verbal information. Over-efficient people can identify potential in people and in situations, and are often solicited to give their honest opinion.
Strong values and principles.
Over-efficient people want authenticity, because they can so clearly (thanks to their super senses) see and feel the “fake” around them; and because they understand they can only feed their souls with real human connections.
They have strong values of honesty, authenticity and integrity, and often want to see these values in others they connect with. They are easily bored and tired of the craze around celebrity drama and reality TV shows, not understanding how one feeds off being a spectator to superficial human connections. They are quickly exhausted by having to maintain relationships at work, making small talk. They especially have a hard time respecting authority from someone who does not live by those values, and who leads not by example but by giving orders.
Let’s face it, we’re all equals! That’s something that’s very strongly felt by over-efficient individuals!
Complex thinking & hyperactivity. Low self-esteem.
Over-efficient people have a very complex thinking box for a brain. Every thought gives birth to multiple thoughts that give birth to multiple thoughts, and these thoughts each have the same importance, and require the same level of attention.
It’s called arborescent thoughts. Mix this with super senses and you’ve got an absolute restless mind.
“A wise man reads 1000 books and still doubts”. “The person who doesn’t know it to be impossible does it”.
Both these quotes explain how an over-efficient person thinks a lot and explores many possibilities, but still questions everything, and doubts his or her own intelligence, and often suffers from low self-esteem and anxiety.
An ability. A gift.
So, in sum, if you’ve identified here, you might just be different in the way your brain is constructed. You might have an overdeveloped right brain. You’re not less or weaker than anybody else.
You have an ability to perceive information, to translate that into a need for real things. You have an ability to think about many things at once, which can seem a waste of time and dispersion to some, but you’re able to explore many scenarios and question yourself, improve and mature faster and better.
I want to talk more about the possible effects and consequences to being over-efficient. Stay tuned to talk about alienation, anxiety, communication issues, authority resistance, creativity, etc.
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