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

I encourage you to sit down and make a list of the specific conditions that are in place when everything feels good in your life. Then check that list against your to-do list and your to-accomplish list.

If we want to live and love with our whole hearts, and if we want to engage with the world from a place of worthiness, we have to talk about the things that get in the way—especially shame, fear, and vulnerability.

Perfectionism actually increases the odds that we’ll experience these painful emotions and often leads to self-blame: It’s my fault. I’m feeling this way because “I’m not good enough.”

It’s as if we’ve divided the world into “those who offer help” and “those who need help.” The truth is that we are both.

Perfectionism is addictive because when we invariably do experience shame, judgment, and blame, we often believe it’s because we weren’t perfect enough. So rather than questioning the faulty logic of perfectionism, we become even more entrenched in our quest to live, look, and do everything just right.

Sometimes we miss out on the bursts of joy because we’re too busy chasing down extraordinary moments.

If we can find someone who has earned the right to hear our story, we need to tell it.

If we share our shame story with the wrong person, they can easily become one more piece of flying debris in an already dangerous storm.

some worthy endeavors will be difficult and time consuming and not enjoyable at all.