To my fellow perfectionists out there:

Have you ever stopped to think about what the perfection you might be working so hard to achieve actually looks like?

If you were to achieve it, would you actually be able to enjoy it? Or, would you breathe a momentary sigh of relief that's quickly overtaken by a sense of unease as you wait for the other shoe to drop?

Let's rewind back to that sigh of relief and follow it instead by a couple more slow, deep breaths and we ponder these thoughts:

Life is forgiving.

There is margin for messiness, for therein lies humanity.

I have compassion when others show me their humanity, and I can allow others to show the same compassion to me.

Peace feels better in my body than the pursuit of perfection.

I'm good enough just as I am. I don't need to earn or prove worthiness of love and respect.

Feel free to read these statements out, write them down, meditate on them, recite them while EFT tapping, make them into a song and sing it to yourself (if you do, I'd love to hear it!)...whatever will help you feel connected to the sense of peace that can be achieved by letting go of the weight of perfectionism and holding yourself to high standards (or someone else's standards instead of being true to you).

Practice makes imperfect

Disability thought leader Julie Harris recommends intentionally sharing or publishing something with a typo as a way to combat shame and the pressure to be perfect, or, celebrating the moments when you look back and find mistakes in something you've already shared or published.

In a world with ever-increasing enthusiasm for the creation of content and even text messages* by non-humans, isn't it good to reveal your humanity once in a while?

*I recognize that this can be an accessibility tool for some folks so no judgment there. I do however dislike the proliferation of AI slop and using AI "just because," especially when the result isn't necessarily better.

Shame can get in the way of putting yourself out there: to connect, to share your next big idea, or to find the role of your dreams. If you're looking for a fun way to gently test the limits of your comfort zone and try things you never thought possible, check out the waitlist for Awktober 2025. And if you're really excited about Awktober 2025, please consider as a first challenge kindly sharing it with your network or a few friends so that we can meet our waitlist goal and be sure it can run this year.

Or, check out these other ways to work with me.

Have a great weekend and be your wonderful, imperfect self.

C

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