Wednesday, December 14, 2011

The Gifts of Imperfection


Our truth and authenticity come perfectly gift-wrapped in our imperfections. - Author unknown but greatly appreciated

Why would people want to perceive themselves as something other than what they really are? 

The pressure from society deprives so many people of freedom to live authentic lives. The fear of inadequacy leads to frustration and alienation from the core of one's own being.

A little gem of a book offers readers a way to change their lives through adopting the practices of "wholehearted" living. The Gifts of Imperfection is a work of a human behavior researcher, BrenĂ© Brown. 

Each day we face a torrent of images and messages from society and the media telling us who, what, and how we should look and behave. We are mis-led to believe that if we could only look perfect and lead perfect lives, we would no longer feel inadequate. So most of us work hard to please others often without inner conviction that we may ever come close to the ideal that is expected from us.

The author teaches us to to embrace life and ourselves with all the imperfections and inadequacies. This helps deal with the stress of overdoing and over-performing. She offers exercises for readers to access their own emotions and begin develop resilience that is needed in life. Readers learn to stand on their own feet and confront the unrealistic expectations of others and their own.