Discover 5 Essential Life Lessons From “The Gifts Of Imperfection”

Discover The Gifts of Imperfection to help you let go of who you think you should be and embrace who you are.

Staring at the calendar I realized I messed up. I double booked things and now I had a mess to untangle. First, my daughter needed me to bring her to the doctor at 3:00. Then, at the same time, I had another appointment somewhere else. As I looked at the two competing commitments on my screen I felt my jaw tighten and my shoulders get a bit closer to my ears. I never do things like this.

I’m supposed to have it all together. I’m not supposed to make mistakes like this.

It wasn’t about the appointments or even figuring out a solution. It was about me messing up. And I hated that feeling. It’s not a lot: know everyone’s schedule, get people where they need to be, and bake a pie in my spare time. Okay, maybe not the pie, but that would help when I make a mistake like this.

What supposed to isn’t real? What if we we are matters more?

Sometimes we are lucky enough to find books that offer us an insight into who we are. Brene Brown’s The Gifts of Imperfection had me hooked at the subtitle: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to be and Embrace Who You Are.

YES! I want that! (Especially after the whole double booking incident!)

Reading the book I found myself nodding my head and underlining whole paragraphs. Here are a few key takeaways for you to ponder.

1. There is a secret to living a wholehearted life.

Actually, it may be a lot of secrets, like how well we know and understand who we are. There is one that trumps them all: loving ourselves. This is a process worth starting if we want to have any feeling of living the life we long for.

2. Letting go and holding on are equally important.

You cannot do one or the other. Finding a way to let go of what others think is just as important as holding on to the truth that we are worthy of love and belonging. We must “own our story.”

Imperfection is a gift. The question is, will you give it to yourself? @brenebrown Share on X

3. Living this life requires an honest look at the hard stuff.

If we walk through life without looking at the hard things like shame and fear, we will only be embracing part of who we are. Wholehearted living means looking at the whole picture and owning those parts of your story, too.

4. Authenticity is not a single choice.

This is what real is all about.

5. Busy is not a status symbol.

I could have missed this one as I flew through the pages, pen in hand. I stopped, however, reminded that this call to let go is more than just expectations. We need to let go of being tired. It’s letting go of thinking that being busy equates with being important and living a full life.

There are things that make your life full that don’t make you busy. For instance, things like sleep and play add more value to your life than being busy ever could.

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All of these ideas play a role. Consider them pieces of a very large, intricate puzzle. While this puzzle may seem like a lot, it is worth working on. We must be as equally willing to face self-doubt and worth, control and gratitude, shame and play, fear and authenticity.

As we grab a slice of pie and unravel all of the ideas of who we are supposed to be, we can discover so much freedom about who we are. Find out more about the book here.