​I read a lot of articles on psychology, self-help, nutrition, happiness, mental health, marriage, dating, and a host of other topics. I hope and believe all this reading makes me a better therapist and a better human being. The downside is that sometimes ideas blur together and it takes a really outstanding or meaningful concept to hold my attention for more than a few minutes. So when I found myself thinking about the same sentence for several days in a row, I knew I had to share. Here it is: implement a zero-tolerance policy for your inner critic.
 
I am not much of a fan of implementing a zero-tolerance policy for most things. It’s the sort of black-and-white thinking that sets people and systems up for failure. Zero tolerance for alcohol turned into a costly and violent fiasco in the United States. Abstinence has never proven to be an effective method of birth control. My zero-sugar diet has only increased my sugar cravings ten-fold. 

I was reading a novel this week and came across the term, “first principles.”  After doing a bit of research on the various meanings of the term, I found this definition in the Cambridge Dictionaries Online: “the ​basic and most ​important ​reasons for doing or ​believing something: We ​seem to have ​forgotten why we're ​fighting this ​campaign - we really need to ​return to first ​principles.” Synonyms for this are cause, drive, motive, and reason.