The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown
My review
3/5 stars
I'm late to the whole Brené Brown thing, but I thought it was high time I give her stuff a go. I picked this one as a starter because perfectionism is something I've struggled with for most of my life and the title of the book appealed to my inner perfectionist.
The audiobook for this one allowed me to capture a sense of why Brené Brown is such a respected orator. Her voice was soothing and authoritative, and gave a natural gravitas to her content. The audiobook was fairly short but it was a wonderful listening experience.
As for the actual content, I struggled to retain most of it. I got a general sense of the importance of avoiding perfectionism and embracing authenticity in the face of judgment and fear, but the actual detail of what was said hasn't stuck with me in any way. I did relate to the idea of whole-hearted living but I would need to do more research on it outside of the book to fully understand it.
The book felt nice to listen to at the time, but it hasn't left a lasting impression.
Book blurb
Each day we face a barrage of images and messages from society and the media telling us who, what, and how we should be. We are led to believe that if we could only look perfect and lead perfect lives, we'd no longer feel inadequate. So most of us perform, please, and perfect, all the while thinking, 'What if I can't keep all of these balls in the air? Why isn't everyone else working harder and living up to my expectations? What will people think if I fail or give up? When can I stop proving myself?'
In The Gifts of Imperfection, Brené Brown, Ph.D., a leading expert on shame, authenticity and belonging, shares what she's learned from a decade of research on the power of Wholehearted Living a way of engaging with the world from a place of worthiness. In her ten guideposts, Brown engages our minds, hearts, and spirits as she explores how we can cultivate the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think 'No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough', and to go to bed at night thinking, 'Yes, I am sometimes afraid, but I am also brave'. And, 'yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable, but that doesn't change the truth that I am worthy of love and belonging.'
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You can buy the book here now. It was published by Hazelden Publishing.
For more on the author, you can head to her website, follow her on Instagram, or check out her Goodreads page.
