02/15/2024
What? You're not perfect? You have flaws? Welcome to a very crowded club! You are not alone, and that is ok! It's more than ok. It means you are human, living aside 8 billion other imperfect people! Too often, that inner critic (I've named her Cruella) enjoys pointing to our flaws, cracks, and scars, purposefully ignoring our wonderful traits and our multitude of strengths.
There is a Japanese art involving the repair of broken pottery by rebuilding the object and filling the cracks with the lacquered dust of precious metals like gold, silver, or platinum. There are no attempts to hide the damage. Instead, it is vividly displayed with pride. The Japanese term for this is Kintsugi.
Despite humanity's ability to see the beauty in these imperfect objects, we often struggle to see the beauty in our scars. Indeed, for many people, self-acceptance is one of the hardest things to achieve. Seeing that the not-so-perfect parts in our lives and selves create the best opportunities for growth and progress. It is critical as it defines your mindset starting point in your quest to achieve a goal/dream.
So today, let go of that inner critic, embrace imperfections as your wisest teachers, and simply get out of your own way.