The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are

It’s about cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. It’s going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid, but that doesn’t change the truth that I am also brave and worthy of love and belonging.

What’s the greater risk? Letting go of what people think or letting go of how I feel, what I believe, and who I am?

When we consistently betray ourselves, we can expect to do the same to the people we love.

When we value being cool and in control over granting ourselves the freedom to unleash the passionate, goofy, heartfelt, and soulful expressions of who we are, we betray ourselves.

Being “in control” isn’t always about the desire to manipulate situations, but often it’s about the need to manage perception.

Wanting to be perceived as cool isn’t about wanting to be “The Fonz”—it’s about minimizing vulnerability in order to reduce the risk of being ridiculed or made fun of.

“What one loves in childhood stays in the heart forever.”

three criteria for meaningful work—complexity, autonomy, and a relationship between effort and reward—

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”