Page 25 - SB-Polly Perfect

EXERCISE
Working hard, trying to do your best and wanting to win is not what will make you into a “Polly Perfect.” In fact, those are the very behaviors that will help you succeed in school, in sports, at home and everywhere.
Wanting to succeed, to win, is fine. However, demanding that you must succeed, that you should win, is what will cause you to be a “Polly Perfect.” Your demandingness will cause you a lot of unhappiness and will make others not want to be around you.
One way to avoid becoming a “Polly Perfect” is to recognize the “Perfectionistic Squawks,” the words that go along with the Stinky Thinking of a “Polly Perfect.” Once you recognize the “Squawk,” you need to make yourself challenge them.
For example: “That’s not fair,” is a “Polly Squawk.” Where is it written that life must be fair? You can tell yourself, “It is unfortunate that (I did not win, make the best grade and so on. but I don’t have to ( make the best grade. I can be satisfied if I did my best.”
“Polly Squawk”: “You like him better than you like me.”
Challenge: “Just because he/she got (whatever it is does not mean they don’t like me. Maybe right now they do like them better but that is not the end of the world and this can change.”
“Polly Squawk”: “I never get to (whatever it is that you are not going to get to do) .”
Challenge: “I am not going to get (whatever it is) and if I make a big deal out of it, that will only make the situation worse. So grow up and accept it.”
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