Black or white. Good or bad. You’re perfect or you’re a loser.
Is All or Nothing thinking your particular brand of self-sabotage? Is your mantra, If it can’t be done to perfection or the nth degree, then why bother?
If you’re a perfectionist, the absolute of All or Nothing thinking is the air you breathe.
Here’s the thing: You’re not perfect and life isn’t perfect.
There are going to be missteps and setbacks. There are going to be milestones missed, frustrations, disappointments, and times you fail.
It’s not a matter of if you will sometimes miss the bar you’ve set for yourself, but what do you plan to do about it when it happens?
It’s been all or nothing my whole life.
When I work with clients who want to change All or Nothing thinking, they sometimes say, But I don’t know how to stop thinking that way. I’ve been doing it all my life.
That may be a true story about your past, but it’s a lame excuse about your future.
Just because you’ve been doing something your whole life doesn’t mean you need to keep doing it if it doesn’t serve you and your peace of mind.
Where do you fall on the continuum of All or Nothing thinking? Could you benefit from a more middle-of-the-road mindset?
