It’s hard to believe that February is almost already over! Those of us that made bold New Year’s resolutions may be realizing we’re hitting up against some gaps between our good intentions and the choices we’re actually making. Here is where the Ten- Percent Rule comes into play. I’m inviting you to consider that…

                   Ten percent of something is better than ninety percent of nothing!

When we get locked into perfectionist thinking, our choices become ruled by rigid, all-or-none thinking. See if you can relate to any of these examples:

  • If I can’t work out for an hour, then it doesn’t count.
  • I didn’t eat “perfectly” today so I might as well completely indulge and have that Ben and Jerry’s pint of ice cream that has my name written on it!
  • I know I was suppose to stick to my budget BUT I couldn’t resist the sale and ended up buying 3 pairs of shoes – after all, they were fifty percent off!
  • I forgot to take my vitamins today so I might as well have that third glass of wine and drink to a better start tomorrow.
  • I know I said I was going to aim for eight hours of sleep and it’s already 10:00pm, but I just want to get on Face Book for ten minutes. (We all know how that ten minutes can magically become an hour and ten minutes!)

The next time you’re in a situation where it’s clear you have competing interests for your resources (time, money, energy) see if you can apply the Ten Percent Rule.

  • I know I wanted to exercise for an hour AND since I only have twenty minutes, I’ll take the dogs for a walk. Or, I’ll do at least thirty minutes on the treadmill which is better than doing nothing at all.
  • I know I wasn’t impeccable at lunch today, so I’ll skip dessert tonight or eat a lighter dinner.
  • I forgot to take my calcium supplements today so I’ll make sure to eat something rich in calcium.
  • I am going to set the computer on a timer for twenty minutes when I get onto Face Book since I tend to loose track of time once I start looking up old friends.

As a dear friend reminds me, “it’s not about perfect, it’s about doing something better”, and, “once you do something better, you can do something a little better from there”.

I hope the Ten Percent Rule allows you to move towards accepting “better” as a great place to be. It brings with it less destructive self-talk and more opportunities to celebrate the successes that 10 percent of something will bring you. The cumulative effect of making better choices and doing 10 percent of something to reach your goals will definitely have an impact on getting better results!

To Your Health and Wellbeing,

– Marcia