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

  • By: Stephen Guise
  • Narrated by: Daniel Penz
  • Length: 5 hrs and 49 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (64 ratings)

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

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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This is a must read for anyone who struggles!

I really enjoyed the practical no nonsense advise! I will be listening to this book over and over again.

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3 people found this helpful

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Love this book

The first book I’ve read which has given me hope that I may finally be able to kick perfectionism to the kerb. Can’t rate it highly enough!!

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2 people found this helpful

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Well worth the listen

I am in the midst of my first year of teaching. I knew it would be hard but had no idea I would feel so hopeless. I was looking for advice to get me through the hard times ahead and this book certainly delivers. I was putting far to much pressure on myself and basically had to learn that good enough is good enough and just to focus on the process. Thanks for this book, it might of saved my career.

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2 people found this helpful

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Find another book..

So much unnecessary content and an overexplanation of concepts. I needed to skip through most of the content. Dont bother with first 4 chapters. Narrator was painful and "cocky" to listen to which took away from content. Little valued gained.

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1 person found this helpful

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Great tips

This book had many great tips such as binary thinking and stopping procrastination and how perfectionism is related to anxiety. Highly recommended

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If you are a perfectionist this book is helpful

this book opened my eyes to the depths of perfectionism. I found myself nodding along to some parts and having my mind blow by others.

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This is one of the best self help books I have ever read.

It’s is so full of insights into a) how and why perfectionism manifests and b) really actionable and effective advice on how to take steps to overcome it. I had to submit a postgrad assignment during the time I listened to the book and took the opportunity to submit a “good enough”
assignment in considerably less time than I would normally spend. It was a huge moment for me! To see how I could actually get something completed imperfectly
And feel good! Thanks so
Much for this fabulous book Stephen!

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Nothing new

Doesn't go into much research and presents common knowledge. Great for readers new to this topic.

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Very easy to action in daily life.

Great tools to action in daily life to reduce perfectionism stress. I’m going to read Mini Habits now.

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Great audiobook - helpful and workable solutions

I have only just finished this audiobook and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I have already begun putting Stephen’s ideas into practice.

Hopefully this is an imperfect but useful review.

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