Embrace your imperfections… I don’t know about you, but I have always had this preconceived idea of how I am supposed to be, act and look as a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend and even as a yoga teacher.
It’s no wonder I was drawn to book The Gifts of Imperfection ~ let go of who you think you’re supposed to be and embrace who you are by Brene Brown.
We are well aware of the stereotypical images the media floods our lives with, whether it be through the television, magazines, newspapers, movies, books and even social media. Until without even realising it we have these stereotypical ideas firmly etched within our minds. It all begins as a child and continues on through adulthood until one day through our maturity and experience we can finally say ‘who gives a ….!’
But sadly that doesn’t come until we have tortured ourselves with striving to be something that we are not. Continually asking ourselves – why can’t I be like this or that, him or her? To think and act in such a way only sets ourselves up for failure. I can no more be like you that you can be like me. By wishing to be like someone else you reject yourself, both the good and the bad.
Everything about you makes you who you are.
There has to be darkness in order to know light. Trying to run from who we are and our imperfections is robbing ourselves of our authenticity. Our energy is depleted as we constantly reject aspects of ourselves.
But why do we reject certain aspects?
Maybe it’s because we think that we have nothing to offer the world. Or maybe we think our flaws and imperfections need to be fixed. But we are each unique and blessed with our own gifts and imperfections. And they are just that ‘gifts’ as they make us who we are. They don’t define us but they are a part of us. No one is perfect, no matter what we might think. To allow our imperfections to flow can make us feel vulnerable, and that can be a scary and overwhelming prospect. But vulnerability is not a weakness it’s our strength. It is also to be human. We are all imperfect. It’s our vulnerabilities that bring us together in support, love and friendship.
So how can we accept this gift of imperfection?
Brene calls it ‘whole hearted living.’ The great thing is that we can make that choice. Through living from a place of worthiness to embrace imperfection to cultivate courage, compassion and connection. How do we do that? Through letting go of ‘who you think you’re supposed to be and embrace who you are’ – warts and all!
So what has changed for me? While writing this piece I let go of who I thought I should be (an accomplished writer within my yoga business) and embraced the journey of writing from a place of wholeheartedness to share with you and for the joy of the process.
Embrace your imperfections.
So next time you catch yourself grumbling about something not being perfect, instead embrace your imperfections as a gift that will lead you to your authentic, unique, very special and beautiful self.
Namaste Beautiful Souls xo
Comments are closed.