Perfectionism? Lighten Up
The following is an excerpt of an actual transaction between David and a client in Top Coaching Techniques.
David: Now on the fun issue, I got the sense that you want to be less serious and have some fun. What do you suggest there? What’s it going to take?
Client: I don’t know. Isn’t it ridiculous that that should be a scary place? Okay, I think I need to allow myself a little more time to enjoy things. What I really need to do is set myself a weekly time check – that doesn’t sound like fun, does it – but where I check off each day, something I’ve done for myself that’s fun.
David: Yeah, I think that can be fine and also to have something to look forward to at the end of each day. It can make your day a lot brighter. I get what you are saying – that it doesn’t seem fun to set up a worksheet – but without a structure to change your pattern, it’s hard to change your pattern. So, I think that’s fine. So, specifically, what would you do to move this forward?
Client: I think I need to have fun and also lighten up on myself. I think I have a heavy expectation on myself to achieve and I always have, and always have achieved well. I think I actually need to take some of that focus off to a degree. It’s not the end of the world if you don’t achieve everything you want to achieve.
