We recorded this episode shortly after Simone Biles took herself out of Olympic competition and, boy, the reaction she got from some people who were likely far from perfect. But we see her as perfect in what she does, and we project our hopes onto people like her, as if it's their responsibility to deliver for us. We need to shoot down the idea of "perfect" and the idea that you need to be perfect in order to be successful, or even happy. Dr. Menije Boduryan-Turner talks about the pressure of always performing and never taking a break or pause, [BOOK REC: Carol Dweck MINDSET: The New Psychology of Success], believing talent is a gift or innate rather than the reality of hard work, learning from Simone and having the courage to say "I need a break", Dr. Paul Hewitt and Dr. Giorgio Tasca's study, self-oriented perfectionism vs. other-oriented perfectionism, parent can be other-oriented and put pressure on their kids, Britney Spears, not dealing with our own imperfections, having compassion for yourself and knowing you can't be your best all the time, Dr. Menije's journey with perfectionism, accepting that your best might not be good enough, your best may not result in success and that's okay, having expectations of how things "should" be, meeting the moment where it's at, hoarding as a side-effect of perfectionism, procrastination as a side-effect of perfectionism, mental health issues associated with perfectionism, perfectionism is not a compliment, control freaks as perfectionists, being able to pivot, the Kardashians and body image, Demi Moore, embracing imperfection, the effortless lie, not being able to enjoy things while focusing on perfection, living in the past or future but not the present moment, anxiety and fear being decision makers, getting out of perfectionism starting with self-love, getting over fear of not being enough, setting boundaries, being in the moment, living intentionally, not shutting down compliments, toxic vulnerability, failing despite our best efforts, believing that people want to be around you for you.

You can find Dr. Menije at https://www.perfectionismuniversity.com/ on Twitter @DrBoduryan and Instagram @dr.menije

Book Rec: https://bookshop.org/books/mindset-the-new-psychology-of-success/9780345472328?aid=11990&listref=a-sassy-little-podcast-tbr

Episode recorded on 08/02/21

Episode released on 09/01/21

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Music: Shower Beer by GG Riggs