Unlearning Perfectionism

Empathy Power Up

Perfectionism is a “belief system that fuels this primary thought: If I look perfect and do everything perfectly, I can avoid or minimize the painful feelings of blame, judgment, and shame.” (Dr. Brene Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection). We’re fed this lie that perfection leads to success, and we’re constantly rewarded for this behavior. And we’re told that it’s our fault, and we are never good enough. None of us are perfect, yet we are held to that standard. It is destructive and addictive.

As we look around the world today, many of us get stuck in the addictive nature of perfectionism which leads to a string of dysfunctions and blocks us from meaningful relationships in our lives. Once we have the epiphany that we no longer want to be perfect we spend most of our lives unpacking it and discovering our true identities so that we might lead more authentic lives.

However, there is hope. Just like perfection is a concept we empower as a system and culture, we individually disempower that concept and remove it from our lives like a harmful tumor. In this episode, we’ll break down the idea of perfectionism, its addictive nature, and steps we can take to unlearn the hold it has on our lives.

This episode is inspired by Tema Okun’s Characteristics of White Supremacy Culture, which brings to light the water we swim in--of the dominant culture that acts as poisons that we’ve digested our whole lives and need to be examined. Today’s reflection question is - How might you overcome the grip of perfectionism?

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The main topics in this podcast were first presented in Amy’s book: Empathy for Change: How to Create an Understanding World: https://www.amazon.com/Empathy-Change-Create-Understanding-World. Grab a copy or download the audiobook on Audible to learn more.

Kevin A.K.A Captain Empathy is the Founder and CEO of Jaago (means to wake-up in Hindi). Jaago’s vision is to create a world where people seek to understand one another by making empathy a daily habit. He is a tech leader and IOT (Internet of Things) pioneer and expert. He brings practical experience, lived experience, and his transparent growth journey to the podcast.

Follow:

• Kevin at @shahkevin or https://linktr.ee/shahkevin
• Amy at @realamyjwilson or www.AmyJWilson.com

Cover Art Design: Amy J. Wilson with Canva