Today we are embracing the messy because we are talking about 3 costs of perfectionism. 

The term “perfectionism” is typically defined as the need to be perfect or to appear perfect, and we tend to view it as a positive trait rather than a flaw. In all actuality —

perfectionism is a survival strategy to avoid judgment. 

The brand unPERFECTED is all about embracing the messy, shedding the shoulds, and integrating all parts of who we are because that’s where the magic truly lives, but as humans and women we have been conditioned to feel like we aren’t good enough as we are. We aren’t skinny enough, smart enough, mysterious enough, sexy enough, nice enough – you get it. These social expectations cause us to hide the parts of us that “aren’t acceptable” and we adopt perfectionism to gain the validation we long for.

This attempt to keep up and keep our flaws hidden causes us to put on a mask, and boy does it get exhausting.

So, as someone who has experienced perfectionism throughout my life first-hand, I want to get into 3 of the biggest costs perfectionism brings:

1. Procrastination. When we’re stuck in perfectionism we are afraid to be seen and we’re afraid to be judged, so we don’t put ourselves out there. We don’t complete the project. We wait until the last minute because we change and adjust again and again. We don’t have time to perfect everything and we need to allow ourselves to tweak as we go.

   if you are going to wait until you have it all figured out, you will miss out on life. 
   

2. Your authenticity. This is a real freaking problem. Perfectionism causes us to push down the parts of ourselves that we don’t like, but you were born on this planet for a reason. Your soul’s expression is what we need. It’s you and all of your parts – your gifts, your gems, and your flaws. It’s when you accept all of you that you exude grounded confidence, experience true self-love, reach your limitless potential, and actually start living a life that aligns with you.

   Who are you underneath who the world told you to be?

3. Your mental health. Perfectionism is a sledgehammer to your mental health. To be in a constant fear of judgment means that you are living with a negative internal dialogue. You are constantly criticizing yourself and telling yourself that you aren’t enough, and our thoughts are powerful. Like energy attracts like energy, so if you’re expressing negativity and judgment you will attract it right back in people, places, and things. 
   

You think that perfectionism is getting you where you want to go, but the reality is that it’s not.

I hope these costs resonate with you and inspire you to stop performing and take your armor off. I hope you decide to take a small baby step toward embracing all of you. I hope you stop selling yourself short and live out loud.

Let’s shed the shoulds, embrace the messy, and normalize normal together. 

Take care of yourselves and therefore each other!

xo, brooke jean