In this episode, we pull apart “perfection” from multiple angles: the rigid, human version that freezes us in place, and the spacious, spiritual sense that everything is already perfect as it is. We track how perfectionism shows up as proficiency fatalism (“they’re so good, why should I even try?”), hidden competitiveness (“if I can’t be sure I’ll win, I don’t want to play”), and a deep avoidance of feelings like disappointment and shame.

We talk about perfection as “the anti-try” — the thing that keeps you out of the arena entirely — and contrast it with iteration, play, and being willing to be bad at something (and even be seen being bad at it) on the way to growth. Along the way, we explore growth vs fixed mindset, how confidence is built by surviving failure rather than racking up successes, and how self-kindness turns failures into compost instead of evidence that you’re broken.

We mention a bunch of our favorite people! Joe Hudson, Reverend angel Kyodo williams, Carol Dweck and her book Mindset, among others.

We close with a pair of invitations:

• If perfection is a trap, what would make you feel more free in this moment?

• And if perfection is a myth, what becomes possible when you stop waiting to feel “ready” and let yourself try, fail, learn, and try again?