Book review: ‘The Gifts of Imperfection’ by Brené Brown

The idea

The great achievers amongst us continuously seek to ensure high quality and constant progress. This striving for ‘perfection’ is our power engine. It provides us with lots of personal energy. And that’s great. Beware however when the underlying thought becomes we HAVE to be perfect (as not being perfect = being unworthy) . If we think so, in the end we might not achieve all that much anymore…. Brené Brown’s main idea in ‘the gifts of imperfection’ is: let go of who you think you’re supposed to be and embrace who you are.

 

Who will like this book

People who

• regularly feel ‘not having been good enough’ 
• have a hard time saying no to others when that would disappoint them
• frequently give up on their intuitions or ideas, by fear of looking stupid 
• constantly ask themselves what others expect them to do 
• give themselves more and more work (leading to overload)      
• know they should relax a little – but have a hard time doing so
   

What we like about the book

• It is quite eye-opening
• Contains a lot of research
• Provides true « how to’s »
• Contains many  examples   
• Helps us be the ‘best version of ourselves’   
   
   

What you will learn in this book

• the 3 main pillars of wholehearted living: courage, compassion, connection
• the typical things that get in the way of courage, compassion and connection  
• the 10 guideposts to nurture courage, compassion and connection 

 

Extracts

• « Wouldn’t it be better if we could be kinder but firmer?« 
  

• « Setting boundaries and holding people accountable is a lot more work than shaming and blaming. But it’s also much more effective.« 
  

• « Many of us are willing to extend a helping hand, but we’re very reluctant to reach out for help when we need it ourselves. It’s as if we’ve divided the world in ‘those who offer help’ and ‘those who need help’. » 

• « Fitting in is about assessing a situation and becoming who you need to be to be accepted. Belonging, on the other hand, doesn’t require us to change who we are; it requires us to be who we are. »

• « The only people who don’t experience shame lack the capacity for empathy and human connection. »

• « Courage is telling our story, not being immune to criticism. »

• « Perfection is not self-improvement. Perfection is, at its core, about trying to earn approval and acceptance. »

• « Courage is telling our story, not being immune to criticism »

• « The only people who don’t experience shame lack the capacity for empathy and human connection »

 

Don’t hesitate to contact us if you want to get help in getting yourself or your team to achieve ‘sustainable peak performance‘.

You can find « The Gifts of Imperfection » on Amazon and other online bookstores. Click on the image to shop:

TITLE: The Gifts of Imperfection

AUTHOR: Brené Brown

Dr. Brené Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston. Her studies focus on courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy. She is the author of four #1 New York Times bestsellers.