Good Enough IS the New (and more realistic) Perfect
List the areas in your life that are most important to you. Create a table with two columns, the first being “The Perfect Life” and the second “The Good Enough Life”. For each of the life areas that you listed, write down what would be perfect in the first column, and what would be good enough in the second column. (CiPP=Certificate in Positive Psychology)
Important Areas of my Life:
Meaningful Relationships/Connections (husband, family, friends, pets, clients)
Creativity (writing, music/dance, growing business, creating a beautiful environment)
Professional Life (lifelong learning, personal growth and development)
Travel (near and far)
Play (includes Gardening, Cooking, Entertaining, reading)
Health (Mind, Body, Spirit)
The Perfect Life
Stay in regular contact with all friends, family. Call mom everyday, Have time every night to connect with Yoram. Play with dogs everyday. Send encouraging email to clients every week. Always send goodbye notes when therapy ends
Write everyday about something meaningful. Always have my homework done for CiPP by Tuesday. Commit to writing my book and devote 1-2 hours a day. Dance every day and ask a client to dance 1x per week. Take a hip-hop class. Roll out 2-3 groups by September and rotate them every 3 months. Grow business into a multi-provider place of health and wellness within 2 years.
Completely understand and apply the majority of concepts learned in CiPP. Rewrite intake assessment into language of Positive Psychology.Become a leader in my market know for evidence based therapies and have a client base of only high functioning Positive Psychology clients. Roll out Positive Psychology group in June.Mentor MSW students every semester. Run a process group for therapists.Continue to take in depth trainings to learn and apply more.
Travel 2-3 times a year. 1 time to US location, 1X to bucket list location, ALWAYS have perfect weather, best experience, excellent food.
My garden always looks great in Spring, Summer and Fall, I cook something new every weekend and it is consistently delish. Our parties are always a hit, everyone leaves satisfied. I read a great new book every other week.
I workout 5 days a week and eat healthy meals everyday. I engage in mindfulness every day.
The Good Enough Life
Take time once a week to catch up with a friend. Call mom 2-3X week Sacred date night with Yoram on Friday? Play with dogs 1-2 times a week Send our encouraging email to clients in need and if/when something reminds me of them.
Take the time to think through and enjoy the leaning process of CiPP. Get homework done when you can. Continue to ponder the intent and message of my book, take notes on my ideas. Dance whenever I can. Ask clients to dance in celebration or to shift mood. Look into hip-hop class (It WOULD be fun!) Enjoy the process of rolling out the groups. Be aware of and enjoy the journey. Remain thoughtful and measured in thinking through expansion of my business. Consider the benefits and costs both personally and professionally. Have FUN with it.
Grasp main concepts of CiPP that are relevant to myself and apply these in individual sessions as appropriate.Thoughtfully think about ways the language of positive Psychology could add value to your current intake assessment and make revisions one at a time, then observe how they are received by clients. Work toward being my optimal best in the field of the evidence-based therapies, savor the process. Look into criteria for mentoring MSW students in SC. Investigate need and desire for therapists peer group. Be thoughtful in the trainings I attend.
Travel at least 1 time per year either in US or bucket list. Remain open to new experiences and roll with the weather, food, culture.
My garden is a work in progress, I will always be in the learning process. I make adjustments when I can and weed as a way to center myself. The garden and my cooking are analogies for my personal growth and development. I entertain when it works for me and strive to make the event fun and easy for myself. I read what I want when I want. If the book doesn’t resonate with me I stop reading it.
I work out 3 – 4 days a week and try to incorporate a Yoga and hip-hop day. I strive to eat healthy 5 days a week. I savor in the mindfulness I do with clients and use 3 deep breaths when I am time-deprived.
Keep in mind the PERFECT life is based on denying the reality of our limitations. The Good Enough Life is based on accepting the reality of our limitations and working in the direction of creating the Optimal Life.
