Writer Cassie Farren, author of The Girl Who Refused to Quit, explains why it’s really ok not to be perfect…
Why is it that as women we feel this constant pressure to be effortlessly perfect? To show up each day with our life filed neatly away in our leather bound organisers, everything perfectly in place.
Our work and home life is meant to be drama free and we are meant to swan around like one of the airbrushed ladies on those ‘my life is so wonderful’ holiday adverts? We are meant to be in control of everything, not a care in the world, not a grey hair in sight.
It’s time to get real
A real woman, living a real life does not live in the land of make believe. We can feel overwhelmed and out of control if we don’t conform to these fake and unrealistic standards.
I am a huge advocate of becoming the best version of yourself, but it has to be authentic, genuine and match your own values and beliefs, not someone else’s.
It’s time to give up living your life to other people’s expectations
It is your life; you have the choice to live as you wish. I do not believe that you will find happiness living your life for anybody else. When I quit my job as a mortgage advisor to work as a part time cleaner plenty of people thought I had lost the plot and were happy to share this with me! I made the decision that my family and my health were more important than my qualifications and pride as I decided to seek the work life balance I so desperately longed for.
It’s time to give up comparing yourself to others
You were born to be real, not be perfect. There is no one else in this world who can take your place. Constantly comparing yourself to others is unrealistic and can lead to insecurities.
It’s time to stop criticizing yourself
That little voice in your head is you! It listens to every negative thought you have and if you’re not careful you’ll start to believe and accept this as your reality. Once you begin to treat yourself with respect you’ll be surprised how this reflects in how others treat you.
“Maybe the journey isn’t so much about becoming anything? Maybe it’s about unbecoming everything that isn’t really you so you can become who you were meant to be in the first place” – Unknown
There is so much pressure on women to be everything to everyone, it’s time to stop being afraid of showing who you really are. Being true to yourself will build internal walls of confidence that will ripple into every area of your life.
No more hiding behind the shadows of who you think you ought to be, no more putting on an act to please others. It’s time to take off these superficial layers and show the world who you truly are, with courage and without fear.
Leave a Reply