Best Of Yesel Yoon's "Letting Go of Perfectionism"

Here is a selection of memorable quotes from Letting Go of Perfectionism: Stop Striving and Start Living by Yesel Yoon, PhD

Our fear of things possibly being imperfect gets in the way of growing. To grow, we must accept that there will be some uncomfortable moments. We need to learn to trust that we can move through them and that what's on the other side is worth the risk.

p.113

Let's say you're starting to reach a point where you're into this whole idea of good enough. But what does that actually mean in practice? It means moving it a step further into the realm of taking some risks and becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable. When we're willing to grow outside of perfectionistic bounds, there are inherently some risks we’re going to take and uncertainty to be had. Building emotional resilience will help with our ability to tolerate risk, mistakes and uncertainty.

p.110

No one wrote a perfect piece of music or novel in one sitting without having revised it or looked at it again with different ears or eyes. It required changes. Changes don't have to be the be-all and end-all to something we're attempting to create.Instead, it's a normal part of the process of creating. Similarly, we need to see our lives as a constant process of creating experiences. We're going to make mistakes along the way, whether it's in the way we speak to someone, how we go about trying something new at work or in our personal lives, or something as simple as cooking a dish.

p.114

Yoon suggests that “The antidote to fear: curiosity and mindfulness”:

Curiosity is a powerful antidote to old black-and-white thinking and fear. When something goes from "What if?" and a limiting belief that things have to be a certain way to "Why not?" and "What else is possible here?" and a more expansive belief that imperfections could be an opportunity for growth, things feel a lot lighter. A curious attitude towards life makes things a little less intimidating and invites a greater sense of possibility.

p.117