If you’ve ever taken kids to church, you’ll appreciate this.
All the family was loaded in the car and we were en route...on time! The day was looking like a Win.
My nine year old calmly asked from the back seat if she could borrow my phone for “something.” Feeling obliviously good about our smooth morning, I passed the phone back to her.
After a few minutes the phone came back to me with a picture on it. It was of her tights…with a giant hole in the knee.
Scribbled on the image is a mark-up with the word “oops (spelled opps)” and an unsure smiley face.
Knowing the tights were intact when she entered the car only minutes before, I asked her what happened. After some initial hesitation she gave all the explanation our car of girls needed, “Um,” she admitted, “there was a string.”
Say no more, sis. Say no more.
Loose strings capture us too often as we fixate on their defiance. By the time we realize we’ve been tugging and pulling at the problem instead of the solution, the damage is done.
When you make a mistake are you going to beat yourself up about it?
Do you sometimes give in and say, "I am what I am?"
What are your strings? What flaws are you chasing or embracing?
Recognizing weakness is a vital step in progression. Fixation on weakness is not. I coach coaches to reward effort over achievement. To celebrate any progress rather than criticizing where goals weren’t met or where the subject fell short.
But how well do we apply this to ourselves?
We follow where we focus. Though it may imply a desirable pursuit, when implemented perfectionism is an insidious trait, requiring too much attention to weakness. Avoid it. Free yourself from the bondage of shortcomings by:
Acknowledging
Train your eyes to see flaws as opportunities to change for the better.
Seek honest feedback.
Identify where you repeatedly get stuck.
2. Improving
Turn your focus to filling your gaps, looking for resolution, not blame.
Toss the tights, shave your legs.
Cut the dang string!
Comments