Say yes to yourself to achieve extreme balance
Extreme balance finally got my hyper-achiever client, Cathy (not her real name), off her extreme hamster wheel and into a healthy, injury-free routine.
It was a pretty straightforward conversation.
Cathy is a yoga instructor and wellness professional with many talents. She has many clients and goes from one gig to the next, all day long. Some days, she’ll schedule 12 or 13 in a row with barely a break to run to the bathroom.
After one injury about four months ago, I suggested she slow down.
“But this is what I do,” she said. “I have two speeds… full, and off. When I’m healthy, I just keep going.”
“Until you get injured,” I observed.
“Until I get injured,” she agreed.
I suggested a change. “How about you schedule one empty session—no client at all—for every three appointments you take?”
This did not seem like a revolutionary idea to me at the time, but it sounded new to her. So I pushed on.
“You’re an extreme scheduler,” I said. “You fill your calendar and say ‘yes’ to anyone who wants an appointment.”
“So,” I prodded, “what if you went more extreme?”
“More extreme? Like…” Her voice trailed off in an unasked question. She did not seem to get it. Yet.
“Yes,” I answered, “more extreme. As extreme as you can get. But the extreme you’re going for is extreme balance. And the way you get it is to sign Cathy up for four appointments throughout each day. That way, you’re saying ‘yes’ to someone who needs your time, you’re filling your calendar to its bursting point, and you’re honoring your own desire for wellbeing and balance.”
She loved the idea and promised to try it.
Four months later, Cathy reported to me that she had not only been injury-free since we talked, but that she felt stronger and healthier and better able to serve each client more completely. And she’d been using those appointments with herself to get outside, read, and catch up on creative things she never seemed to have time for before.
This still does not seem like a revolutionary idea to me.
But sometimes, framing is everything.
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