I’ve been thinking a lot about bravery this last week. Particularly the type of bravery so many people I know struggle with… (I suspect you too) the bravery to let go of the expectations of others, the need to please everyone, and the need for perfection.

If you follow me on Instagram you’ll know I’m reading “Brave, Not Perfect” by Reshma Saujani, which prompted me to question how actions can be restricted by the need to be perfect for others.

How does striving for perfection feel? For me, it feels lonely, conflict, sometimes resentful and bloody exhausting. My followers agreed the main response was TIRING!

What does it cause you to do? For me, it was always saying yes, trying to guess what the “right answer was, overworking and eventually burnout. Instagram responses were holding back on sharing, not feeling good enough, procrastination, stress, eating and drinking too much.

If you were to allow yourself to choose bravery, what could you do? For me I quit my job, I ended my relationship, exercising for fun not looks, and not using filters. A great response from a friend was “saying what I need, rather than leaving it to chance that others will know!”

So here’s a little challenge to get you started on the road to bravery over perfection. It will only take a few minutes.

Take some time to reflect on these questions to get your mind thinking in a slightly different way. Feel free to send to me, I’d love to hear from you, forward to yourself, or why not start a notebook just for you?

• What does perfection mean to you?

• How often do you choose perfection and pleasing others over choosing you?

• How would it feel to choose the brave option instead?

• What would that look like?

• What is the first step you will take, no matter how small?

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