Do you strive for 100%?

Last month an online friend of mine mentioned the 60/40 principle. It was developed by a psychologist in the 1930's as part of a program to help people manage their inner environment for good mental health. Striving for 100% or more all the time leads to many challenges like fatigue, depression, anxiety, and the physical ailments associated with chronic stress. Many of us are trained culturally or driven internally to be perfectionists all of the time, and despite our best efforts, we often fall short of our expectations and end up exhausted and disappointed in ourselves. I don't know about you, but this is certainly a pattern in my life.

The psychologist, Dr. Low, taught his patients to take a different approach. He encouraged them to lower their expectations to a more reasonable level - 60/40. He said that 60/40 is average for everybody and encouraged his patients to give themselves permission to be average. He pointed out that if people really lived at 100% they'd probably have ascended to another realm by now. He taught that if you can accomplish 60% at your best, that's pretty good, and if you're having a bad day it's ok to drop your optimum even lower.

I encourage you to try out the 60/40 principle this week and give yourself permission to set reasonable goals and relax while you work towards them.