March 17, 2021
In our book club portion in our phase 2 “She Recovers” group experience, we are reading the book “The Gifts of Imperfection” by Brene’ Brown. In our last group session, the topic of perfectionism and people pleasing came up and how destructive those behaviors and mindsets can be in so many facets of our lives. During the group discussion, the point was made that no one is void or exempt of criticism, no matter how hard an individual tries to live in a way that will somehow ‘spare’ them from it. I ran across this quote a couple of days after our discussion that I felt validated and supported this prior discussion point even more effectively and deeply.
“There is only one way to avoid criticism; do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing.”
– Aristotle
To live to our greatest potential, it is important for individuals to get to a place personally where they can surrender the tendency of ‘pleasing others at all costs’ to instead embracing behaviors that will inevitably lead to the healthiest and most effective choices for their own personal health and well being. This is a difficult and unique journey for each individual as each fights their own battles in their own arenas of life.
In the words of Theodore Roosevelt, “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
(To schedule an appointment or to find out more about our groups please call 480-535-0009).
