I enjoy writing... that is, when It's done. Don't know about you, but when I put something off, the pay-off is not exactly lasting. Yes, I feel that Phew! moment, in that I don't have to do whatever's outstanding on my to-do list, not right away. Yet, that nagging feeling never really dissolves. As long as I've been writing blogs, I still find it extremely challenging to let them go. My OCD is about being Over Consciously Detailed. In effect, what that means is, nothing is ever quite good enough. Well, that's not true. It means I'm too fussy for my own good. No, let me rephrase that, I'm very particular about my writing and my work.
So much so, I continue to work extremely hard regarding my writing being good enough. Years ago, I met a businessman, who'd just written a successful book about how one can succeed in business. We discussed my challenges about writing. He said, 'Malcolm, just let it go. It'll be good enough.' He was right, now I no longer aspire to doing everything perfectly, I feel less stress, more relaxed and experience hardly any pressure from myself. Then, I decide to write. This can still be a challenging experience for me. As I write this, I still wonder whether it'll be good enough to publish.
By traditional standards, to some, I know my approach to coaching may sound a little alternative. When I hear that, I respond with - I'm an alternative. The one thing I continue to learn is to do with the precision we use, particularly in business. I continue to discover that great leaders are always very precise in the way they want things done. For instance, if any of you watch MasterChef on TV, you'll have noticed how precise the top notch chefs are. Some may consider these chefs to be somewhat pedantic in their approach. In fact, perhaps a little OCD. However, if we use my interpretation of OCD (Overly Consciously Detailed), we realise that it's the details in cooking and in life that really count.
If I'd had been far more precise about how I wanted things done when I was in the retail fashion business, I'd have had a much less stressful time of it. These days, I am very precise about how the way in which I like things to be done. Be that, from how I prefer my eggs to be cooked, or they way I want my Personal Branding programmes to be presented. So, be precise in your aspirations, goals and life requirements. As Richard Bandler, the co-founder of NLP has said - 'You get more of what you focus on.' I agree with Mr Bandler. So let's all focus on being more precise - in the way we speak, write, use our body language, and in general how we communicate our requirements.
Some tips:
-Be reflective
-Use passion rather than emotion
-Remember, self belief is vital
-Don't let ego get in the way
-Focus on what you do well
-Pay attention to the details
-Self discipline is essential