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  • How to Be an Imperfectionist: The New Way to Self-Acceptance, Fearless Living, and Freedom from Perfectionism

  • Written by: Stephen Guise
  • Narrated by: Daniel Penz
  • Length: 5 hrs and 49 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (141 ratings)

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How to Be an Imperfectionist: The New Way to Self-Acceptance, Fearless Living, and Freedom from Perfectionism cover art

How to Be an Imperfectionist: The New Way to Self-Acceptance, Fearless Living, and Freedom from Perfectionism

Written by: Stephen Guise
Narrated by: Daniel Penz
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Publisher's Summary

I remember when I aimed for perfect workouts: 30 minutes was the minimum.

I was in lousy shape.

I remember when I aimed for perfect dating: it couldn't be awkward, forced, or uncertain.

I didn't talk to women I was interested in.

I remember when I aimed for perfect writing: I wanted 1,000+ words of quality material per day.

I played video games instead.

I carefully avoided mistakes, endlessly ruminated about what I didn't do, and what I did do wasn't enough.

Then, I became an imperfectionist.

Everything changed. I had fun stories to tell, like the lesbian pizza incident and the most nervous "Hi" ever spoken by a human being. I learned more. I laughed more. I lived more.

I got in great shape, read more books, and improved my social skills. I wrote Mini Habits, which is being translated into a dozen languages.

I found I could mess up and still win.

Perfectionism is a naturally limiting mindset. For example, kids are taught to color inside the lines, and any color outside the lines is considered a mistake that must be corrected. Imperfectionism frees us to live outside the lines, where possibilities are infinite, mistakes are allowed, and self-judgment is minimal.

While the freedom of imperfectionism is impactful, it does not preclude us from having problems. Imperfectionists aren't so ironic as to have perfect lives, they're just happier, healthier, and more productive at doing what matters.

©2015 Stephen Guise (P)2015 Stephen Guise

What listeners say about How to Be an Imperfectionist: The New Way to Self-Acceptance, Fearless Living, and Freedom from Perfectionism

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The (im)perfect book for perfectionists

Lots of insight and actionable advice for anyone who struggles with perfectionism, procrastination, and habit formation.

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8 people found this helpful

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  • Ash
  • 2020-01-09

A little repetitive but drives the point home.

A different take on motivation. This helped me feel not only inspired, but that I can actually maintain the progress I want to make. A little repetitive but sometimes we need a consistent outside prospective to understand what we do to ourselves in our own heads.

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7 people found this helpful

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Plusieurs bon trucs à retenir

Très bon livre, agréable à écouter. Contient plusieurs trucs très faciles à retenir et à mettre en pratique. Je le recommande et je vais certainement le réécouter.

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4 people found this helpful

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A lesson in changing one's perspective

It wasn't the easiest listen for someone new to self-help. Mostly because I was listening to it in the background at work, but Stephen has a great perspective and there is much content that everyone could benefit from hearing.

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3 people found this helpful

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A few gold nuggets

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It wasn't what I was looking for but still found it a pleasure to listen to and I took away a few great ideas to improve my life. The audio was fine except sometimes the narrator got very quiet and I couldn't hear him well. A consistent volume would have improved the experience.

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2 people found this helpful

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Super

Lots of actionable advice presented in a straightforward but entertaining and humourous way. I'll be checking out the author's other works!

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2 people found this helpful

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An Imperfect Headline

I really enjoyed this book. This book provided a simple answer to something as complicated as the topic of perfectionism is. It provided examples of both a perfectionist and a Imperfectionist which helped in the understanding of the material. I haven’t read his first book but I thought it was still a good read regardless. I would definitely recommended.

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Goodie

I like his ideas. They really help me see all the wins in my life. Good follow up to mini habits and elastic habits. Free yourself from ideas can be very freeing. Enjoy

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2 people found this helpful

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great book!

I will never be able to look at Lisa Simpson the same way again after reading this book! It is very helpful if you want to feel better about not having every task go the way you want/expect it to go and how you can work on changing those thought about it having to be just so

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1 person found this helpful

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definetely worth a listen

practical solutions for an issue so many people face. would recommend to everyone who struggles with perfectionism

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