Taking Courage Today
And Say Goodbye to Your Perfectionism
Want to start a podcast? Take courage. Want to start a Youtube channel? Take courage. Want to end a toxic relationship? Take courage.
Yes, of course, it’s not as simple as that, but it all begins with taking courage, knowing that what you are about to do is extremely terrifying but — doing it anyway. Just like when I first started writing on Medium and sharing my personal stories, it felt SO scary to put myself out there, but I knew I had to share my life lessons as it’s been holding deep inside me, yearning for everyone to experience the growth and transformation I had.
It has also been on my mind for a long time to start a Youtube Wellbeing & Mindset channel, sharing life lessons blended with psychology just like I do in my Medium articles. I took a hard look at myself as I realised perfectionism has been holding me back in my life so many ways, including starting a Youtube channel. It’s been there set up for a long time, but I was just waiting to have the perfect video, perfect cut, perfect day.. that never comes until I took the courage and simply allow it to be imperfect and raw.
As we go deeper into the subject of perfectionism, one would realise that it is embedded in your perceived self-worth and attachment to success and achievement, where the constant seek of approval from others drives perfectionism in order for one to feel ‘enough’. Like with all habits, it will take practice and repetition for you to unlearn your behaviour, and moreover the courage to change. But It’s been ground-breaking for me ever since discovering Mastin Kipp’s work, where coaching meets with a neuroscience informed approach.
Just like many of our unhelpful behaviour, he mentioned that it’s our body’s natural way of keeping us safe. Our nervous system has been wired to respond to perceived danger for survival purposes. However, things that trigger fear, from jumping off a cliff to posting on Medium, they all could activate the same fundamental nature of our nervous system and trigger a protective mechanism that keeps us safe, within our comfort.
And that is why you need to actively take courage to take imperfect action when fear creeps up. Know that it’s a response where your body is simply keeping you within what it sees as safe but you know better than to stay in your comfort zones. As Mastin says, remember CIA: Take Courage, let it be Imperfect and TAKE ACTION! So here I am, my first raw and courageous Youtube video, where I’m showing up for myself and allowing imperfection.
So what is one courageous, imperfect action that you can take today?
Here is mine.
If you’ve enjoyed my work and would like to gain more perspectives through my lens and life lessons, here are some to explore:
