All or Nothing

Book excerpt: In this fascinating and empowering book, clinical psychologist Mike McKinney takes an informed look at the often talked about but little understood phenomenon of the ‘all or nothing’ personality: a personality type that is driven to focus on one task or area of life to the exclusion of all else. While often bringing great rewards in terms of career achievement, this approach can commonly lead to other aspects of life being adversely affected and can result in problems such as difficulty maintaining relationships or not having a life outside work. It’s also one of the main causes of burn-out. The author looks at how this personality type can develop (through, for example, a deep fear of failure, a desire to please others, or childhood expectations that you must ‘always do your best’) and, more importantly, he explores how balance can be brought to the all-or-nothing personality, so that its best qualities can be retained while the potential negatives are mitigated, resulting in a more meaningful and rewarding life.