Published March 2026 Perfectionism Is Not the Same as Excellence Perfectionism and performance are often closely linked, particularly for high-achieving professionals, athletes, and students. High standards are praised. Precision is rewarded. Relentless effort is often interpreted as commitment. But perfectionism is not the same as excellence. Excellence is about doing something well and continuing to […]
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When self-criticism becomes a problem Self-criticism often arrives quietly. It can sound like high standards, self-monitoring, or a desire to improve… until it begins to interfere with flexibility, confidence, and performance under pressure. For some people in high-pressure roles, self-criticism and performance is complex. Self-criticism can seem motivating, even protective. Yet under pressure, self-criticism can
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End of year stress is more common than many people realise. For many people, December carries a particular emotional weight. It’s a month filled with endings, expectations, competing demands, and a cultural pressure to feel a certain way. Even when there are moments of joy, it’s common to notice fatigue, irritability, sadness, or emotional flatness
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Understanding Performance Anxiety: Why It Happens and How to Work With It Do you get nervous when you have to get up on stage to sing or act?Do you feel jittery before an audition, a game, a meeting, or a presentation?Does your heart race before a big conversation or interview? Performance anxiety isn’t limited to
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Cultivate equanimity to help with anxiety – Notice, Accept, Float Using meditation to cultivate equanimity can enable one to manage unpleasant or unwanted emotions in a way that reduces their impact. Podcast… Yesterday I recorded an episode of the podcast, Enhance Your Life with Nonie Carr, on this topic. Listen to the podcast on this
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Burnout? What self-care & wellbeing? Exhausted… burnout… Have to go to work, can’t leave the desk for lunch, maybe skip eating altogether, need to work late, forget to eat dinner, fall into bed exhausted, wake up exhausted feeling like you’ve been hit by a bus, first coffee at home, walk… no, run out the door,
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There are times when anxiety becomes impossible to ignore. You might try to push it aside, focus on what you’re doing, or carry on as if it’s not there. But the more it is ignored, the more present it seems to become. It starts to take up space. This is where the metaphor of the
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‘It never gets easier, you just get better’, I’ve heard variations on this theme many times… As a cyclist the most common variation is a quote that is attributed to Greg LeMond: “It doesn’t get easier, you just get faster.” For those who don’t follow professional cycling, LeMond is considered one of the greatest American
EASIER? OR BETTER, FASTER, STRONGER…? Read More »
Last weekend there were 2 major endurance events that friends and team mates competed in: the Tour of Bright (ToB) and Ironman Busselton. I am always impressed when I read the race reports that they write in the days following the event. I’ve competed in the Tour of Bright a number of times,
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Sometimes we just want to stop, lie down and take a break. We might feel like giving up. We might feel like what we’re doing doesn’t matter. We might feel like the effort is just too much. We might feel like it’s not worth it. But it might be more helpful to reassess, to adjust
Do you really want to give up? Read More »
