I don’t know who first coined the phrase, Brave Not Perfect, but it has wheedled its way into my every day existence like an earworm.
I like it.
Merriam-Webster defines the word brave as: having or showing mental or moral strength to face danger, fear, or difficulty: having or showing courage. It goes on to define the word perfect as: being entirely without fault or defect: satisfying all requirements: corresponding to an ideal standard or abstract concept.
Whatever the actual meanings, I think the idea of PERFECTION has been my nemesis this past year. I’ve been working hard, making my jewelry pieces full time, but I don’t put up all the things I make on line for you to see. What’s up with that? Well, if I’m honest, it’s because I’m scared that my finished work isn’t perfect enough.
Now, I’m not saying that I think my pieces are less than; they are more than in many arenas. But I’ll admit that deep down, I’m afraid of what others may think. and I worry that my work isn’t good enough. Hello imposter syndrome!
On some level, I know that these feelings are normal, and shouldn’t keep me from doing what I want to do. But they do. And you know what’s the most frustrating part of all of it? I know that I am the one standing in my way!
And so, to be more mindful about my own self sabotage, I made a special Hematite talisman to help me visualize being brave. Hematite has wonderful grounding properties, keeping the wearer well rooted and therefore less swayed by the irrational fears of being not good enough. I wear this stone talisman on my I AMuleT when I’m not feeling all that sure of myself, pinned behind barriers of my own making. Maybe adding a hematite talisman to your I AMuleT will help you, too, to remember that YOU ARE BRAVE.
Only you hold yourself to the standard of complete perfection. Stand tall. Believe in yourself and smash those imaginary roadblocks!
Here’s to being brave, together,
XO
MM
