☀️ Why I Show Up Flawed

I often have food on my face.

Whether it's crumbs, spaghetti sauce, cream cheese, or even pieces of rice

And it always invites quite a reaction.

I've had friends who laughed at me for being so sloppy.

I've had bosses who chewed me out for not being "professional" enough.

I've had partners who felt embarrassed by being seen with me in public because of it.

The truth is that to this day, I still don't know why it happens so often.

I don't know if it's because I was never fully taught the etiquette of wiping my mouth or that the nerve endings around it are so insensitive that I could never feel it.

And even typing this brings up a familiar fear.

The fear reminds me of noticing when my blind spots or flaws can cause someone to look at me weirdly.

To judge me, misunderstand me, and reject me.

And as a recovering people-pleaser, this always hurt.

It makes me think about all the different areas of my life where my flaws can bring up the same feelings.

Flaws like my illegible handwriting

Or my mispronunciation of words

Or sometimes my confusion with grammar in how I talk or write.

There is a list of these flaws that I used to attribute to wanting to hide from the world.

It was why it felt so difficult to show up as I am.

To write, talk, draw, and express who I am because I've had years of memories of voices telling me that what I'm doing is flawed and therefore not good enough.

And it took me a to realize this truth: being flawless and showing up flawlessly is overrated.

The individuals who show up, flawed and all, are individuals who are willing to be human, vulnerable, unpolished, and real in a world of airbrushing, editing, optimization, and plastic surgery where there will always be more and more layers of abstractions and illusions to hide what’s real from us.

The individuals who show up, flawed and all, are individuals who I can learn to invest my trust and attention in, especially in a world where everyone is gaming for your eyeballs and creating elaborate stories or Mr.Beastified content to pitch or sell you something.

Ever since the start of 2024, I've been committing to sharing a video of myself talking to the camera almost every day.

It’s not perfect.

And sometimes it was only after I had already finished recording and editing the videos that I realized that I had a speck of food on my face.

But I still press the button "post."

Because I will no longer hide my flaws from the world anymore.

And I can trust that whoever judges me or feels cringe because of it, will not like my content or sometimes by extension even me and that's okay.

Because I know there will always be others who will see me as I am and not just accept it but want to see more of it.

And even be around it.

And that's why I show up flawed.

Because that's the fastest and most powerful way to live a life where you are no longer attached to the opinions of others, and can always do your best to show up just as you are.

Come join me!

Questions to ask yourself:

What part of your “flaws” are you still ashamed of?
What is one way you can reclaim this flaw as part of the authentic you?

☀️ How can I help?

If you enjoyed reading this week’s issue, here are two more things you can do:

1. Share it with someone else who will find it valuable.

2. Schedule a free call with me to discuss whether 1-on-1 coaching could be helpful to you on your journey!

And that's it for now! ✨

Thank you for reading this edition all the way to the end. I appreciate you 🙏

Thanks for being part of this journey.

Hope to see you in the next issue!