On a scale of 1-10, is your thinking binary?
Often, clients will come to coaching sessions stuck on a change they are trying to make…
Getting good enough work out the door instead of spending hours gold plating it
Freeing up space in their diary – less meetings!
Delegating more
Picking and choosing projects in alignment with their interests and capacity
When we dig into it, there is very often an assumed binary in play. Perhaps something like:
If I don’t do this work perfectly, I’m useless at my job
If I don’t go to every meeting, I’m being rude and disrespectful
If I delegate this work, it will be a disaster
If I say no to this new project, I’m not a team player
When we bring these into conscious awareness, it becomes possible to play with the space in between these binaries.
It’s true that if you do your work terribly, you won’t be good at your job… but where is the space between perfect and terrible?
On a scale from perfectionist (100) to no care at all (0), where would you place yourself now and where would you aim to sit? How is that different from where you are now?
If you say no to every single meeting you may well be seen as rude or disrespectful, but are there some you can decline with no cost – or even a benefit?
On a scale of attending every single meeting (100) and none (0) where are you now, what is a realistic goal and what criteria might you use to decide which meetings make the cut?
If you delegate everything to the point of abdication, it may well end in disaster, but how can you move towards delegating with success?
On a scale of doing everything yourself (100) and total abdication (0), where are you now, where would you like to be and how might you set that up?
You can’t do everything. If you do more projects you love, you will likely create better results for everyone, including yourself.
On a scale of taking everything anyone gives you without discernment (100) and only ever doing precisely what suits you best (0), where would you score yourself now, what might you prefer, and what’s the first step in that direction?
Realising you don’t need to flip to the other extreme can be very liberating. It can allow a whole new perspective to open up – so you can make adjustments that will have a powerfully positive impact.
Read more on the pitfalls of black and white thinking here:
Step out of your comfort zone; avoid the panic zone
Until next week,
Take care of yourself and others
Madeleine
PS If you’d like to work with me in a coaching program to help you identify and work with any binary thinking that might be blocking you, get in touch. Send me a message to enquire, and please share with anyone you think may benefit.
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