Happy Holidays!

Hello Everyone,

Get your Merry on!

Dr. Mitchell Perry

 HO! HO! HO! JINGLE, JINGLE, JINGLE… OMG, IT’S KRIS KRINGLE!!!

It’s time for sleigh bells, and Santa, and children demanding,
Chocolates, and gingerbread… our waistlines expanding.

Off criticize, off chastise, and offload your Grinch,
On spiritize, on cheeryize – find your smile… it’s a cinch!

Your worry, your thrashing, your obsessing must leave,
With your family and friends, t’is the season to Believe.

As you imagine all day, your dreams warm and aglow,
Your lovee and you, smoochin’ ‘neath the mistletoe!

Fill the season with caroling, and be sure to be quick,
You know it’s for certain, you’ll be seen by St. Nick!

With Rudolph, and bubbly, and chestnuts together,
You can kick up your heels, and keep dancing forever!

As you think of the stockings, and tinsel, and bows, 
New clothes and shoes, from your head to your toes!

So start wrapping the presents, and hanging the holly,
Trimming the tree, and displaying your jolly!

Add the egg nog, the cakes, and the goodies gourmet,
You must join in the weight gain without further delay!

When your life is so touched, it’s the way of the heart,
You sure have touched ours, right from the start!

On our sleigh ride together, measure for measure,
Instead of “not bad”, it’s indeed been OUR PLEASURE! 

From all of us at JM PERRY, with abiding affection we bequeath,
For YOU and your MERRY, enjoy a smile, a hug, and a holiday wreath!

May you and yours have a VERY MERRY PERRY HOLIDAY!

MERRY MERRY FROM JM PERRY! 

November 2012

To get people to do what you want them to do, you must first position what you want in concert with what is important to them. 

Dr. Mitchell Perry

Communicating with Access Codes

Have you ever noticed that sometimes you meet someone and you get along with them easily?  Yet other times you meet someone and it seems to be uphill all the time.  You have to do lots of “maintenance” and getting along with them seems like a chore.  There are even times when you know someone for a long time and it is still always difficult to get along with them.  Why?  Because the people with whom you get along well are people who are wired like you, and the people with whom you have difficulty are wired differently.

Suppose you could understand more up front how people are wired and you could adjust your presentation and approach accordingly?  Getting along with people successfully is kind of like gaining “Access” to them.  When you understand their “Access Codes,” you can then inter-relate easily.

There are 8 Access Codes to consider when you approach people.  

The codes are:

Going Towards / Going Away
Trust / Suspicion
Strategic / Tactical
Warm-up / Direct
Empower / Control
Others / Self
Feelings / Facts
Process / Results

When you understand these codes and know how to use them, you will gain “ACCESS” much faster and get what you want.

For You, Radio Worth Your Time!

            Laugh, Learn, Live!

 “THE DR. MITCHELL PERRY SHOW”

Applied Common Sense*
*Because common sense is very uncommon…

The Dr. Mitchell Perry Show: Applied Common Sense* Because common sense is very uncommon… airs Saturdays from 9:00 am – 11:00 am (Pacific) on KVTA AM1520.  It is a little bit reasoning, a little bit education, a lot of laughs, and a whole lot of fun!  Every Saturday morning Dr. Perry takes calls LIVE on his radio show on everything — including relationships, business advice, personal growth, and the ever popular… “Common Sense is very Uncommon!”

He has a knack for saying it like it is without beating down his listeners.  You can be sure that if there is an answer to your problem, Dr. Perry will help you figure it out.  Listeners call in to get advice, discuss the day’s events or simply to give their opinion on the latest topics.

The number to call the studio live is toll free
855- DR-PERRY (377-3779).

If you missed the latest radio show or you want to hear Dr. Perry tackle your favorite topic once again, click on http://drmitchellperryshow.blogspot.com/ to find PODCASTS of The Dr. Mitchell Perry Show past radio shows.  
 

 Today’s Tickle
Will Rogers, who died in a 1935 plane crash, was one of the greatest political sages this country has ever known.  Here is what he had to say ABOUT GROWING OLDER…
First, eventually you will reach a point when you stop lying about your age and start bragging about it.
Second, the older we get, the fewer things seem worth waiting in line for.
Third, some people try to turn back their odometers.  Not me; I want people to know why I look this way.  I’ve traveled a long way, and some of the roads weren’t paved.
Fourth, when you are dissatisfied and would like to go back to youth, think of Algebra.
Fifth, you know you are getting old when everything either dries up or leaks.
Sixth, I don’t know how I got over the hill without getting to the top.
Seventh, one of the many things no one tells you about aging is that it’s such a nice change from being young.
Eighth, one must wait until evening to see how splendid the day has been.
Ninth, being young is beautiful, but being old is comfortable.
Tenth, long ago, when men cursed and beat the ground with sticks, it was called witchcraft.  Today it’s called golf.
And finally, if you don’t learn to laugh at trouble, you won’t have anything to laugh at when you’re old.  

Dr. Perry’s “Pet Peeves” Show

In this semi Annual “Pet Peeves” podcast of my radio show we have a whole lot of fun as listeners call-in with their favorite pet peeves.  I am sure you will find a couple that drive you nuts! A little bit of fun from Dr. Perry

The Perfection Obsession

ARE YOU A PERFECTIONIST?  

Perhaps you have a need to line-up your food boxes according to size, or arrange your closet by color, fabric, and space between the hangers, or alphabetize your cans of soup?  Wait a minute… if you are now thinking, “That’s a great idea!”  OMG… keep reading!

Do you obsess about your looks, house, or work?  Do you truly think that your standards of perfection help keep you striving? Do you ever notice you seem to be always anxious and/or cranky?  

It’s time to re-evaluate your perfection obsession – let’s add some common sense!  

Dr. Mitchell Perry

The Perfection Obsession:  A Set-Up for a Let Down

Many people have standards, values, and guiding principles by which they live.  For these individuals, standards and values are helpful guidelines for living; on the other hand, sometimes these standards become too rigid and strict.  In some cases, the standard expectations of excellence are so high that the individual becomes obsessed with having to be perfect.  This is called the “Perfection Obsession.”

I have encountered countless people, both personally and professionally, who are obsessed with being perfect.  In moderation, striving for excellence is a terrific basic governing value.  Yet, many of us take “having to be perfect” to the extreme, and later develop psychological, physiological, and interpersonal disorders which often result in emotional prison.

I often find multi-dimensional origins to the perfection obsession.  When suffering from perfection obsession, people frequently cultivate an unshakable irrational belief system in addition to rigid behavior patterns.  Dr. Albert Ellis presents the perfection obsession as another one of his eleven irrational ideas that contributes strongly to mental illness and emotional disorders.  He describes this irrational obsession as “the idea that one must be thorough, competent and achieving in all possible respects, and if perchance this is not achieved, there is something terribly wrong.”  As you can see, when we become firmly entrenched in this kind of thinking, we become anxious, irritated, depressed, or hostile if we’re exposed as being imperfect.

Sometimes people who are afflicted with perfection obsession have grown up in a double-bind family environment.  A double-bind family environment is a “damned if you do/damned if you don’t,” or “Catch 22” situation.  For example, suppose a child is continually told the following two conflicting messages by his parents or other authority figures:
“You’ll never amount to anything unless you achieve.”
“Whatever you achieve will never be good enough.”
If this sounds familiar, you have three options:

To keep achieving in hopes of reaching perfection some day, or
To become so miserable and defeated that it leads to severe depression.
Go crazy – (dip into the prozac).
Most people with the perfection obsession choose the first option.  The perfection obsession can manifest itself in a variety of ways.  Some of the behavior patterns are familiar — those of a workaholic, a narcissist, a compulsive cleaner, a neat nick, over-achiever, and an ultimate authority on every subject.

Workaholics constantly work to the point of masochism.  Most are working to compensate for intense feelings of inadequacy; in this case, a fear of being less than perfect.  By committing their time and energy to work and by excluding other people, they feel safer – that is to say, it is less likely that other people will discover they are in fact imperfect.

Other people can become “perfect” narcissists – obsessed with their appearance, making sure they look perfectly neat, coifed, clean, groomed, pressed, smoothed, sprayed, made-up, tanned, physically shaped, and coordinated.  The risk here is that “perfect” people might avoid potentially fun or educational activities that would expose them as being imperfect.  As a result, the “perfect” person may seldom relax for fear of having an imperfect physical image.  This narcissistic condition has become greatly amplified in the past two decades.  An example is the movie “Perfect” which portrays a woman’s obsession with exercise to create the flawless body.  Another example is the addiction with plastic surgery – as a result of a distorted view of your physical self, often referred to as body dysformia.

Many people are concerned about cleanliness and orderliness at home and work.  The neat-nick, however, is obsessed with cleanliness and orderliness. This person will spend hours cleaning every nook and cranny in the kitchen, will work for days making the office files letter perfect, or will devote the entire weekend to scrubbing the back porch and driveway.  The compulsive neat-nick’s behavior ensures the maintenance of control.  The neat nick fears losing control because that would mean revealing personal imperfections.

Still other people can become obsessed with perfection in their thinking, dialogue, and knowledge.  Have you ever dealt with someone who has an opinion and an answer for everything?  These people like to be the ultimate authority.  They will oftentimes read voraciously and store vast amounts of knowledge and will likely get quite anxious if the answer fails to immediately come to mind or if memory fails for even a moment.  Professional people, in particular, can become obsessed with perfection in their chosen field.  The idea of saying “I don’t know” is unthinkable.  Instead there is a recorded message playing internally that says, “unless I am a perfect, flawless professional, other people will lose respect for me.”  An additional problem that arises from this erroneous thinking is that other people begin to expect perfection from professionals who promote infallibility.  This leads to a tough bind.  I wonder if there would be less medical malpractice litigation if some physicians were less obsessed with projecting perfection, and if the public could allow them to be fallible and human?

The difficult part of being obsessed with perfection is the continual anxiety about making mistakes and exposing humanness, fallibility and imperfection.  The obsessive person thinks, “if I make a mistake, I will lose respect,” and “if I’m imperfect, I’m vulnerable and out of control.”  Notice how often we tell ourselves those lines?  This belief system states that anything less than perfect would be received with disapproval in other people’s eyes – an extension of the childhood double-bind scenario.

IN REALITY, THE CONTRARY IS TRUE.  We actually like people less for their perfections because perfection tends to scare and intimidate us.  If we encounter someone who appears perfect, we are immediately reminded of our own imperfections, which can make us feel uncomfortable and inadequate.  In addition, we find it difficult to identify with someone who is perfect.  We are able to relax only when we encounter someone who, while having high standards, also lets his or her imperfections and “human qualities” show through.  The more human a person is, the more we are able to feel comfortable and identify with this person.

Take a look at Oprah Winfrey, she is fabulously successful, loved and admired by millions of people — and she has always been willing to expose her failings and soft underbelly.  Do you suppose she is so admired because she is willing to be imperfect?

The perfection obsession is oriented toward reactive thinking and is motivated by the potential consequences of failing to do something.  “Perfect” people are unable to relax because they are always making an effort to be perfect – reacting to the fear of the potential consequence of appearing imperfect, flawed, and out of control.  This constant reactive obsession results in anxiety, dogmatism, and lowered creative potential and performance.  If we are unable to relax, we are denying ourselves the opportunity to grow; therefore, learning and progress are halted.

What can you do?

Ask yourself this question:  “What is the worst that can happen if I am less than perfect?”  Really consider this question because chances are, the answer is hardly fatal.
Practice saying, “I don’t know” when in fact you find yourself without an answer.  People will be quite accepting of your limitations.
Consider leaving the house (or a small portion of it) messy for one day.  It is interesting to see that your house, friends, and you too, will survive, and as a result, the obsession decreases.
List all of your standards on paper and consider the standards that are unreasonable.  Then, rewrite and adjust them to more reasonable standards.  The anxiety automatically diminishes.
Now ask yourself:

What am I noticing about myself and my perfection obsession?
What are my options to alter these behaviors?
What am I learning about these options?
What will I now do differently?