Brave, Not Perfect
Fear Less, Fail More, and Live Bolder
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Brave, Not Perfect
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Narrated by:
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Reshma Saujani
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Written by:
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Reshma Saujani
About this listen
International Best Seller • Inspired by her popular TED Talk, the founder and CEO of Girls Who Code urges women to embrace imperfection and live a bolder, more authentic life.
"A timely message for...women of all ages: Perfection isn’t just impossible but, worse, insidious." (Angela Duckworth, best-selling author of Grit)
Imagine if you lived without the fear of not being good enough. If you didn’t care how your life looked on Instagram. If you could let go of the guilt and stop beating yourself up for making human mistakes. Imagine if, in every decision you faced, you took the bolder path?
As women, too many of us feel crushed under the weight of our own expectations. We run ourselves ragged trying to please everyone, pass up opportunities that scare us, and avoid rejection at all costs.
There’s a reason we act this way, Saujani says. As girls, we were taught to play it safe. Well-meaning parents and teachers praised us for being quiet and polite, urged us to be careful so we didn’t get hurt, and steered us to activities at which we could shine. As a result, we grew up to be women who are afraid to fail.
It’s time to stop letting our fears drown out our dreams and narrow our world, along with our chance at happiness.
By choosing bravery over perfection, we can find the power to claim our voice, to leave behind what makes us unhappy, and to go for the things we genuinely, passionately want. Perfection may set us on a path that feels safe, but bravery leads us to the one we’re authentically meant to follow. In Brave, Not Perfect, Saujani shares powerful insights and practices to help us let go of our need for perfection and make bravery a lifelong habit. By being brave, not perfect, we can all become the authors of our best and most joyful life.
©2018 Reshma Saujani (P)2018 Random House AudioYou may also enjoy...
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What the critics say
“I love this book! A timely message for girls and women of all ages: perfection isn’t just impossible but, worse, insidious. The prose is so clear, so honest - you feel like you’re sitting across from Reshma sharing stories.” (Angela Duckworth, Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, and New York Times best-selling author of Grit)
“The perfect is not just the enemy of the good; the pressure to be perfect is the enemy of girls around the world. In this courageous, convincing book, Reshma Saujani shares a bold vision to free girls - and women - from the shackles of social expectations.” (Adam Grant, New York Times best-selling author of Originals, Give and Take, and Option B with Sheryl Sandberg)
"For any woman who has ever thought to herself "I just can't...” or "I'm just not...," this eye-opening book will help you showing up every day as brave, not perfect changes how the world sees you, but more importantly, how you see yourself - and what you are capable of. This book is great reminder that having the courage to stare your mistakes and your imperfections in the face is one of the most overlooked sources of power." (Amy Cuddy, Harvard lecturer and best-selling author of Presence)
What listeners say about Brave, Not Perfect
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Pilar M Toronto
- 2023-01-08
The new woman in me just awakened
Powerful, real, life changing book that every woman (and man) needs to read . Thanks Reshma for being our awakening voice
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Stephanie
- 2019-04-22
Good starting info
This is a book that has great starting info for women who struggle with perfectionism including understanding how our current culture and environments create and contribute to it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Yara
- 2020-04-15
inspired
I'm inspired to leave the perfect woman in the past and start to be brave and help others to do the same.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Nansey Sinclaire
- 2019-11-18
Loved it!
I loved reading this book or rather listening to it. I found I couldn't put it down as it caught my attention so greatly.
I definitely could relate to the ways in which we've or rather I'd been brought up to be so called "perfect" based on expectation and the interesting ways it's played out in my life at such an unconscious level.
No one book is perfect I don't think as far perhaps repeating a point several times or repeating point well into the book that was already covered.
Overall I enjoyed the book and found it to be very powerful. Since reading the book this week I encountered a moment myself in which I had an opportunity to express 'bravery' when I was in an uncomfortable situation from a man who thought his humorous comments were just that and not sexually offensive, inappropriate and disrespectful. Taking a stand for myself and overall for women in general I most definitely felt empowered, confident and brave. I believe having read the book encouraged my response and heightened my inner awareness to recognize it was the time to act.
I definitely recommend for women and mothers of young girls to read this book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amy Simpson
- 2019-07-04
A must read!!!
If you are a parent of a girl or a woman yourself, you need to read this. We need to take ownership for change and be brave! I love this and have listened to it twice now😊
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 2019-10-17
inspiring
Thank you for writing this book Reshma. your words inspired me to be a die hard member of team brave.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Hayley Kew
- 2019-10-21
A Must Read!!!
Very well written. Started many wonderful conversations between my husband and I as we reflected on the messages being shared in our home as we raise our son and daughter.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Alexis Dyck
- 2021-09-24
Loved it! Will listen again.
Great listen, on such a relevant topic in today's world. Interesting insights and easy to listen to.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 2023-03-26
A leg up for women in this world
Reshma Saujani is the brave voice women need to step into leadership and own their power in the most brave and beautiful ways. Her encouragement, coaching, and candidness in this book is reassuring and inspiring! It’s so comforting and empowering to have leaders like her sharing their knowledge and lived experience.
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