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

found in my research that participants who self-report as hopeful put considerable value on persistence and hard work.

AEIOUY. A = Have I been Abstinent today? (However you define that—it’s way more challenging to define abstinence when it comes to things like food, work, and the computer, but the process of defining what it means to you is worth the effort. It changed my life.) E = Have I Exercised today? I = What have I done for myself today? O = What have I done

Gremlins are like toddlers. If you ignore them, they get louder. It’s usually best to just acknowledge the messages. Write them down. I know it seems counterintuitive, but writing them down and owning the gremlins’ messages doesn’t give the messages more power; it gives us more power. It gives us the opportunity to say, “I get it. I see that I’m af

Get Inspired: The

face with the people we care about.

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.”

Compassion practice is daring. It involves learning to relax and allow ourselves to move gently toward what scares us.”

In my research, I found that what silences our intuitive voice is our need for certainty.

People who live wholeheartedly do indeed DIG Deep. They just do it in a different way. When they’re exhausted and overwhelmed, they get DELIBERATE in their thoughts and behaviors through prayer, meditation, or simply setting their intentions; INSPIRED to make new and different choices; GOING. They take action.