Is all or nothing thinking killing your motivation?

It’s true. I struggle with all-or-nothing thinking. And it’s a major motivation killer. It doesn’t do much for my self esteem, either.

Here is an example of how all-or-nothing thinking shows up in my life.

“My house is a mess. I need to clean it but I don’t have time.”

Here’s the sneaky bit. I do have SOME time, but where I get stuck is how I define “cleaning the house.” My all-or-nothing thinking pattern, if unrecognized and left unchecked, turns into cleaning ALL of the house, sorting through all the closets, decluttering ALL the drawers, oh, and then there is the garage, and my car, and the laundry, and the porch needs to be repainted…”

“I may as will dig a hole in the ground and throw myself into it. I’m doomed to failure.”

Do you see where this is going? Of course I don’t have the time to do THAT.

So, I do nothing. And I feel bad about myself.

And the cycle continues.

How does a person disrupt that pattern? Let’s redefine “cleaning the house.” Do one thing, and let that be enough. It’s so hard, but so necessary. Isn’t one thing better than no things?

And those “one things” add up to BIG things. I believe so many great ideas, audacious goals and wonderful adventures never get off the ground because we overwhelm ourselves with all or nothing thinking.

Just do one thing. And see where it leads you.