How often have you thought to yourself that you could have done something better?  Or differently? Or this or that?  We tend to have an inner dialogue with ourselves about how we should or could have done something differently or better if only we were more perfect.

Please don't shoot the messenger . . . I'm here to tell you that you will never, ever, be perfect!  We live in an imperfect world so how can you be perfect? 

The closest you can come to being perfect is being imperfectly perfect!

We grow up in a society that tells us through advertising that our appearance needs to look a certain way, we need this job, drive this car and a whole list of other things.  Then, supposedly, we will have the perfect life.  Our families have expectations of us that are often a reflection of their hopes and wishes for us to be happy and have a perfect life.  We grow up believing we must be all these things, and more, in order to be perfect.

What is perfect?  As defined in the dictionary - "being entirely without fault or defect".  I could show a beautiful rare emerald to fifty people and I am sure that at least several of those people would point out something about the emerald to make it less than perfect in their eyes.  Really, we each have our own definition of perfect.

So many of us put an enormous amount of pressure on ourselves to be perfect.  This one concept of "being perfect" has caused so much heartache and mental health issues.  Is there something going on in your life that you feel you have to be perfect in order for it to be "good or right" or for you to be accepted?

If you are doing the best you can with whatever it is you are doing, then you are perfect in that moment.  You are drawing on all your life experiences, knowledge and wisdom to come as close to perfection as possible.  As beautiful and wonderful as you are,  you still have flaws.  We all do!

Until you can embrace all of your imperfections as well as all the wonderful qualities about you, you will never even come close to being "perfect".  Don't you see that in your imperfections, it makes you more real, more perfect as a human.  I do not know of one person living on this planet that is perfect!  Why would you put that pressure on yourself to be the only perfect person living at this time on Earth?

Is it possible for you to get comfortable with looking for the "imperfectly perfect" in all that you are and all that you do?  Can you relax a little more knowing that it is okay to be imperfect?  

Take a deep breath and let yourself know that you are off the hook of being perfect!

Take another deep breath and . . . really . . . let . . . that . . . sink in.  You are off the hook of being perfect!

You add an important thread to the fabric of humanity.  Yes, you!  Let go and lighten up about being perfect.  Know that you contribute a great deal to all those around you just by being . . . imperfectly perfect you!

Are you ready to live the life you desire and deserve?  Julie Wilson is a Life Coach who is dedicated to help you be the best possible version of YOU!  For more information, click the button below.  ​

When you look in the mirror, who do you see?  Do you see your true self or do you see another version of you?  Your eyes and your mind work together to help you see what you are looking at.  Your mind holds many beliefs about you that shape who you see in the mirror.  Often these beliefs are not even yours!

Regardless of what you have been told or what you believe about yourself, you have the ability to change those beliefs and recreate them into what is true for you now.  In the last blog, ​Coming Soon: New Release Movie Featuring You, I wrote about how you can start the process of changing your beliefs by first recognizing what beliefs you have that are no longer true for you.

Stop reading this for a moment and recall something you have been told that you know in your heart is not true about you.  Perhaps as a child you were taunted that you were a "quitter" and you would never accomplish anything!  Sometimes, even now, you resist starting something new because you believe you will not finish it.  You may have the "quitter" program running in the background, consciously or unconsciously, holding you back.  Time for you to let go of that belief and replace it with a new one!

Let's look at a concrete way to make a change.  Recognizing what you want to change is the first step.  Being willing to release or change that belief is the next step.  Then it is a matter of anchoring the new belief within you in a way that creates new pathways in your brain.  

Using the "quitter" example, you could plan to do something and complete it.  Perhaps you have never done a 10k race because you were afraid you would not finish.  Anything you can do to move toward accomplishing that goal puts you one step closer to rewriting the belief that you are a quitter.  What steps can you put into place to help you be successful in completing the race?

You might start out walking two miles four times a week and soon you are walking more than two miles each time. Next, you find yourself walking/jogging those miles.  Your strength and confidence increase.  All the while you are telling yourself, "I am not a quitter.  I am more than capable of completing anything I decide to do!"  

You enter a 5k race and find that you were able to accomplish that with ease.  Before long, you are doing a 10k race.  As you cross the finish line, you know you are not what you were told all those years ago.  Through this process, you have rewired your brain with a new belief that you are a successful person and not a quitter!

Not all beliefs take this long to change.  Some can easily be changed by recognizing the belief and restating it into a belief that you know is your truth.  Then anything you do in a concrete way, no matter how small or big, will help anchor the new belief.  It will create new pathways in your brain and you will be creating the change you want to see.

As you recognize what is true about you and you make these changes, you will be able to look in the mirror with your eyes and your beliefs.  You will see the reflection of who you really are.  Time to open your eyes and your heart so you can finally see the real YOU!

Are you ready to live the life you desire and deserve?  Julie Wilson is a Life Coach who is dedicated to help you be the best possible version of YOU!  For more information, click the button below.  

Your mind believes what it is told and you are what you believe.  The quote above by C.S. Lewis speaks volumes!  Do you believe what others tell you about you?  Or, do you believe what you know to be true for you?

​You have experienced how it feels when someone gives you a compliment.  You also know how it feels when an inconsiderate person puts you down and says ugly things about you.  Even though, in most cases, the person is  reflecting onto you how they feel about themselves, your mind doesn't know any different.  Your mind takes this all in and believes what it is told.

​Whether words are spoken, written or in your thoughts, they have power.  You can't control what others think or say about you, but you can control what you think and say about yourself.  Your innermost thoughts about YOU affect you on every level of your being.  What is your self-talk saying about you?

​Before going on, take a minute and write down five things you believe about yourself.  You probably believe these five things because you have heard them over and over again throughout your life.  When you have your five beliefs listed, look at them.  I would guess that some things you wrote down could be perceived as negative.  "I'm not very smart.  I'm fat.  No one would love someone like me."

​Looking at these five beliefs may make you feel sad or angry but it is possible to change those beliefs.  Within you is the ability to change what you believe about yourself.  You can't depend on others to build you up with compliments and praise.  YOU are the only person you can depend on!

​The thoughts spinning around your mind have the capacity to make or break you.  You have the power within you to make changes in what you believe.  In general, it can be human nature to think negatively.  More and more people are now doing their best to be more positive.  You can too!

​Try this.  When you think or say something negative about yourself, stop in that moment, and rephrase it into something more positive.  "I'm fat" becomes "Now that I am eating healthier and taking a walk almost every day, I know that my body will slim down."  It is not always easy to think or speak positive all the time.  Once you start being conscious of the words you use when you speak about yourself, it will become easier.

​Take an inventory of the words that you say or think about yourself.  Would you say the same thing to your partner, your child or a friend?  If not, why would you say them to yourself?  Get in the habit of using kind and loving words when speaking or thinking about yourself.

​I am sure that there is something good and wonderful about each one of you.  Focus on all the good things about you.  The more you focus on the good within you, the more good you will find to focus on!!

​Once you start using loving self-talk, then watch how it impacts those around you.  If you don't speak and think in a kind way concerning yourself, how can you expect anyone else to speak and think about you that way?  Time to change your old beliefs about you that no longer serve who you really are.  Time to create new beliefs about you that are your truths!