This week on our blog: a daily preview from an article in our newest Mindfulness Workbook. In part 3: an Interview with Brené Brown about having the courage to be imperfect and being kinder to ourselves. Letting go of your perfectionism requires some courage, says American scholar and author Brené Brown. But it will give you so much more than amassing achievements and pleasing other people.
In your book, you say we should let go of what other people think of us if we want to develop a sense of self-worth.
I find this very important. When you are able to let go of what others think and to accept your story for what it is, it gives you access to the feeling that you are good enough as you are, and worthy of receiving love. When you spend a lot of time walking away from aspects of your life that don’t fit who you think you should be, you continue to be an outsider to your own story, and you will feel like you constantly have to prove yourself. You will be getting your sense of self-worth from others by always scoring points or continually pleasing them. We often think we have to adapt in order to belong. But one of the biggest surprise discoveries I came across in my research was that adaptation stands in the way of feeling like you belong, of a true sense of connection. Because adaptation means you are acting differently to who you really are, while you have to be your true self and also be able to show your less attractive sides to feel like you truly belong somewhere.
The interview with 10 tips from the book The Gifts of Imperfection can be found in the Flow Mindfulness workbook.
Text Sjoukje van de Kolk Photography Stocksy United
