I have a confession to make: I am a perfectionist. And a people pleaser (well, who isn’t). Those two combined often stop me in my tracks, preventing me from expressing my ideas and sharing things I’m passionate about.
We often feel the need to present ourselves in the most favorable light, to filter everything we’re doing so that others will like us. In my role as a coach, I notice how difficult it is for my female clients to open themselves up to vulnerability, to show up as they really are: beautiful and unique human beings. We compare ourselves against some imaginary ideals, feeling small and inadequate in comparison. We forget that they are just that, imaginary, and that nobody’s perfect. In fact, it is our imperfection, our uniqueness, that makes us interesting and beautiful.
Striving for perfection makes me doubt my own strengths. It pushes me to distract myself with the daily grind instead of growing while working on my business and myself. It makes me hide from a world full of opportunities and connections. At my recent coaching session (yes, coaches have coaches, who knew?), I got an insight that I intend to put up as a constant reminder to myself:
When I’m hiding, there is no growth.
How about you, friend? Are you hiding your brilliance from the world only because it is not “complete,” not done according to your highest standards, not looking well enough compared with that perfect thing you see in others? Are you not trying anything new because you’re afraid others will judge you or dismiss your ideas as impossible, irrelevant, or even crazy?
Guess what? First of all, nobody is perfect, even though they appear as such in your news feed or social media. Your only concern should be to be a better version of yourself today than you were yesterday. That’s it.
And second: what you have to say, do, invent, or create is important. There is always somebody waiting for it to be that one special thing that’ll change their life. Sounds empowering, doesn’t it?
It is not about you; it’s about all that inner light of yours that you share with the world.
Do it more often! Don’t sweat the small stuff. Learn as you go. Fail forward.
