The Essential Message Blog

After a long day at the zoo, I’m tired.  My four-year-old nephew is not. We’ve barely gotten in the door and he’s managed to thrust a colouring book, walkie-talkie and his Bob the Builder hammer into my arms while simultaneously gripping my hands and walking up my legs. “Fwip me!” he says, now upside down.

Do Your Worst

Last week I promised to reveal my favorite get 'er done strategy of all time. I was reminded of it by a recent New York Times article, Unhappy? Self-Critical? Maybe You’re Just a Perfectionist. See if this excerpt rings any bells:

Just about any sports movie, airport paperback or motivational tape delivers a few boilerplate rules for success. Believe in yourself. Don’t take no for an answer. Never quit. Don’t accept second best...[perfectionists] are people who not only swallow many of the maxims for success but take them as absolutes. At some level they know that it’s possible to succeed after falling short (build on your mistakes: another boilerplate rule). The trouble is that falling short still reeks of mediocrity; for them, to say otherwise is to spin the result.