Freedom In Imperfection

woman-570883_640Perfection comes up often in yoga classes. You want to be able to achieve the perfect pose. Many times all you get as a result is imperfection. You need to practice further… or be able to find the freedom in your imperfection.

The same is relevant at work. While we might strive for perfection in the office, we need to face that we are all imperfect human beings. We do our best, we develop ourselves, we grow. And all the while we must accept that not every presentation will be perfect and not every meeting will deliver the perfect results – but it is possible to improve.

“I am Me – Accept me as I am”.
It doesn’t mean that you won’t change detrimental habits because you are embracing who you are. It also doesn’t mean that you are promoting laziness or lack of ambition. What it does mean is that you have taken a look inside of yourself and seen who the person inside truly is. There are things that you like about yourself and also things that you don’t, but it all works together to become the person that you are today.

True change in your life is an act of love. You become a better presenter when you love who you are right now even if your last presentation was a bit heavy on PowerPoint slides. It means that your life, self-esteem and happiness are not tied to your last performance.
Anything done out of self-hate doesn’t usually last because you will be always criticizing your efforts. Nothing is ever good enough because you start off not liking yourself from the beginning.

Imperfection says that the only way through is with love on board. Accepting and embracing you by celebrating why you are unique. It is getting reacquainted with yourself through a few steps that show the value that was there all along.

Here are five ways to truly be free by letting yourself perform and be as you are.

1. Look at yourself honestly. Write down what you find positive and what is negative in your eyes. Find ways to change the wording of those negatives so they are now positives that you can embrace. If you believe that you cannot meditate, find the gift of awareness in the moment. Holding a yoga pose for a minute during your corporate yoga class gives you the gift of full concentration – use it to visualize your afternoon full of great interaction with your colleagues.

2. Say No. Become brave enough to say “no” to events or activities that don’t foster your interests just because it’s a “cool” or “acceptable” thing to do.

3. Bring new experiences in your life. Try new poses and yoga sequences. A new fitness trend? Why not give it a try? Experiment with new looks to accentuate your strength and give yourself a confidence boost.

4. Laugh more. Laughter promotes feel-good endorphin release. It is restorative and also promotes health. And works wonders at the office, too!

5. Explore your creativity. You might believe that you are not creative at all. Or find that your creative efforts are not up to par. So what? Enjoy any creative pursuits just for the fun of them without judging yourself or having expectations. Paint, write, sing to your hearts desires.
All in all, please allow yourself to be human, flawed and free by embracing your imperfect life.