The ‘That’s Something I Made Up’ Game
The following is an excerpt of an actual transaction between David and a client in Top Coaching Techniques.
David: So it’s kind of like getting back to little kiddie times, back to five years old, when there really are no agendas. You just, you know, ‘What am I going to do now?’ and everything you do is perfect. Now you don’t have to live like that, and you might find that you resist it every five seconds because you’re like, ‘Now I’ve got to create a problem. I’ve got to create that there’s somewhere else to get to and I’m not there.’
Client: I’ve already got a pretty good list of those.
David: Yeah, you already got that.
Client: I already tell everyone. That’s how I talk, ‘I just have t o get to June. I just have to get to September. I just have to get to December.’
David: Yes, so you’ve played that game for a while. My invitation to you for this week is to play this other game called That’s Something I Made Up, and for this week, ‘I don’t actually have to get anywhere. I give myself permission to play any games I want to play, including sending out flyers.’ It doesn’t mean you can’t be in action. That’s a completely separate conversation. You know, when you’re out for a drive in the country, you can drive fast at times, and you can say, ‘Hey, where is this place on the map? I might go and check that out and have a cup of coffee.’ You can still do stuff if you want. The difference is you don’t have to. It’s all a bonus. You’d actually be taking on that this week where everything you do is perfect, and you actually cannot make a mistake even if you try; the mistake is perfect. That’s a big gift to give yourself, and I don’t know if you want to give yourself that, but do you want to take on that game?
Client: Okay.