Being Yourself in a World That Does Not Need More ‘Perfection’
This isn’t exactly a hot take. We’ve been talking about authenticity for a long time. And yet in the heat of the moment: just before an interview, a talk, a party.... we can forget about this amazing thing called "being natural".
We fall back into figuring out how to perform better, be smarter, funnier, more successful… and also how to be more relaxed, kinder, more accepting...
It's tiring right? And it’s a human condition. Nothing to be self-critical about.
And yet, if you experience the subtle (or maybe not so subtle) stress of that — perhaps more than you admit to yourself — you may find yourself drawn to a quieter kind of movement that wants to change it.
I’m hanging out there 👋🏼
It started as a dedication to my own happiness, and over time percolated into the mission of my coaching business, Impact Sweet Spot.
Yes, I want to create communication materials and coaching tools, develop and practise talks, as fabulously as possible. But at some point though, to preserve my sanity and peace of mind, I had to start to question the idea of perfection and land somewhere real. And honour that this is the best I can do in this moment.
(No more contorting myself into impossible shapes that lead to sleepless nights or disappointment with the response - please, thank you very much).
Because I started to notice more and more, that when I run a coaching session, give a presentation, or attend a networking event under constant pressure to make it perfect and flawless, I don’t enjoy it. I end up depleted and self-critical.
When I manage to remind myself of something like the moth with the chipped wing, I show up more grounded, more real. I enjoy it more (not without anxiety — just anxiety that’s more proportionate to the actual importance of the event in the grand scheme of things).
And even seeing the 'mistakes' I made, I’m actually happier with what I did. Funny to notice that.
The how to is not easily answered, as it’s not an overnight shift. What I can say is that feeling failure and fear of rejection, fully and deeply, has had an immensely powerful effect on me.
⭐A small but important note: it’s worth remembering that not everyone has the same freedom or safety to do so. For some people, authenticity comes with real risk. I don't want to dismiss that reality. It's more about the spaces where we DO have choice, and how harshly we sometimes treat ourselves within them.
If you celebrate the upcoming festive season, this could be a juicy question to sit with:
”How can I give myself a break from being the perfect partner, daughter, son, parent, friend… and just show up a little more as myself? And that way contribute to a more real and forgiving world.”
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If something in this resonated and you’d like to reconnect with yourself in a more real way, you can book a call with me here
