I am spending the summer in a camp where my wife works. I see most of my Clients over zoom and am busy most of the day, but there is something about the country that is so relaxing.

My joy here is nothing compared to my kids. They are running around what is essentially a bungalow colony all hours of the day. Always surrounded by friends, and always having a blast. I won’t make mention of the occasional conflict between besties!

If you have ever spent any extended period of time in such an atmosphere, it may be familiar to you that things like bedtime, and forcing the kids to brush their teeth become much more like suggestions. 

But all good things come to an end. At some point in the evening I usually reel my 5 year old, rambunctious-to-the-max daughter back to our quarters. She’s usually pretty tired by then but she still fights it. And every night, not sure where she came up with this one, she asks me- “is it Midnight yet?” Somehow she has come up with this idea that it’s not truly late until the clock strikes 12. And if it’s not truly late then she’s not truly having a blast!

I crack up every time. She is such a character and so sure that midnight is what she needs, that 10:30 PM (don’t call CPS please!) is simply insufficient.

This reminded me of something I discuss with Clients all the time. At some point we all come up with certain beliefs and we just follow them. Blindly. We can find it funny that a 5 year old has decided on midnight as the time that means that day has been superb, but we’re not laughing when we start to recognize our own irrational beliefs.

To name a few: I need to make $100,000 this year. Or else. 

If I don’t finish school by January I will be such a failure.

I should be over this breakup by now.

Let’s take a step back, and remember just how irrational we are. And if you need a reminder, you can think of an adorable 5 year old, barely able to keep her eyes open, asking her father if its midnight yet as she drifts off to sleep.