The Perfectionism Project

I’ve learned more lessons from Brené Brown about perfectionism than I can count. And I largely have Brené to thank for the progress I’ve made when it comes to the progress I’ve made with perfectionism. So I thought there would be no better time than now to share 5 life-changing lessons about perfectionism from Brené Brown. Tune in to hear about the huge breakthrough that Brené Brown helped me to achieve and learn why perfectionism actually hampers achievement, how perfectionism protects us from vulnerability, why perfectionism is not self-improvement, the connection between perfectionism and shame as well as why it’s so important to dare greatly. I hope you enjoy this episode on life-changing lessons about perfectionism from Brené Brown. In This Episode You’ll Learn: The life-changing breakthrough that Brené Brown helped me to achieve How perfectionism differs to healthy striving Why perfectionism hampers success The 3 tools we have in our ‘vulnerability arsenal’ The difference between perfectionism and self-improvement Why perfectionism is actually a form of shame The reason that daring greatly is the key to overcoming perfectionism Featured In The Episode: Our membership community, Perfectionists Getting Shit Done Episode 22: How Personal Development Helped Me Overcome Self-Doubt Episode 57: 7 Differences Between High Achievers And Perfectionists Episode 59: Daring Greatly by Brené Brown: Lessons + Takeaways Episode 157: How To Stop A Shame Spiral Follow me on Instagram @perfectionismproject    

Where we struggle with perfectionism is where we struggle with shame. While shame is an unavoidable human emotion, there are a few things you can do to stop a shame spiral in it’s tracks - so that’s what I’m sharing in this episode! Tune in to learn a powerful 3 step process I’ve learned from Brené Brown that will help you develop shame resilience and stop a shame spiral. You’ll also discover the 3 key ways we react to shame, how to spot shame in others and why stopping a shame spiral can be so challenging. I also share some of my personal experiences with shame too. I hope you find this episode helpful! What I share in this episode on how to stop a shame spiral has been completely life-changing for me. In This Episode You’ll Learn: Why perfectionists struggle with shame and why shame can’t be avoided Whether shame comes from our circumstances or our thoughts Some of the most common thoughts that create shame What a ‘shame screen’ is and which one you use the most often 3 practical steps to stop a shame spiral, as taught by Brené Brown Why it can be empowering to acknowledge the physical sensation of shame What ‘speaking shame’ means and who you should and shouldn’t speak shame to Featured In The Episode: Our membership community, Perfectionists Getting Shit Done Episode 59: Daring Greatly by Brené Brown: Lessons + Takeaways Episode 62: How To Stop Negative Self-Talk + Beating Yourself Up    

Many perfectionists consider themselves natural procrastinators. They’ve procrastinated for their entire life and feel like it’s just the way they are. If that sounds familiar, this episode is going to help! I’m sharing whether it’s possible to break-free from procrastination even if it’s a habit you’ve had your entire life. In This Episode You’ll Learn: Whether procrastination is genetic The real cause of your procrastination habit Why it’s important to be kind to yourself as you learn how to beat procrastination The role that identity plays in your procrastination habit The truth about how beating procrastination feels Why procrastination strategies and tactics aren’t working for you The reason I consider procrastination to be the habit of avoiding discomfort Featured In The Episode: Our membership community, Perfectionists Getting Shit Done - Sign up today! Episode 26: The Power of Self-Image

When it comes to making big decisions, we’ll often have two voices telling us what to do - one of those voices is fear and one of those voices is intuition. But how do you tell which is which? That’s what I’m answering in this podcast episode. In This Episode You’ll Learn: Why your intuition isn’t always ‘right’ Why it’s important to distinguish intuition and fear 5 ways to tell the difference between intuition and fear What I personally do when I can’t tell whether I’m making decision from intuition or fear Featured In The Episode: Our membership community, Perfectionists Getting Shit Done - Sign up today! James Wedmore’s Mind Your Business Podcast

If working towards your goals feels exhausting, then this episode is for you! If you’ve been expecting results that you’re not even working for - it’s time for a reality check. I’m going to tell you how to figure out whether you’re doing this and what to do about it if you are. I hope you find it helpful! In This Episode You’ll Learn: Why you don’t have to work harder to achieve your goals How to tell whether you’re expecting results you’re not working for Why we can feel like we’re working harder than we actually are The real reason that working towards your goals is so exhausting A thought-provoking question that will uncover self-sabotage Featured In The Episode: Our membership community, Perfectionists Getting Shit Done - Sign up today! Episode 101: How To Rest Without Feeling Guilty

If you’re constantly organising your life - but it’s never staying that way - there’s a good chance you need to create some new habits! In this episode, I’m sharing 3 habits organised people have that you probably don’t so you can start getting your life organised. And if you’d like my support and guidance to become more organised - be sure to join our membership community Perfectionists Getting Shit Done. In This Episode You’ll Learn: The importance of being decisive in all areas of your life The real reason perfectionists hate making decisions Why organised people take action at the first opportunity What to do if you can’t complete a task today Why it’s so important that you stop believing you do your best work at the last minute The personal rules that keep me organised How to create personal rules to organise your life Featured In The Episode: Our membership community, Perfectionists Getting Shit Done - Sign up today! Episode 73: How To Stop Putting Things Off Until The Last Minute Episode 97: How To Upgrade Your Habits Using Personal Rules Episode 103: How To Escape Indecision Fatigue Episode 152: Why You Never Have Enough Time

While perfectionists love feeling productive and dream of being more organised - it’s a reality that most of us struggle to create. If you feel like you never have enough time, then this episode is going to be incredibly helpful - I’m diving into 7 reasons you never have enough time and what to do about it. I hope you find it helpful! I’m also excited to announce that Perfectionists Getting Shit Done, our membership community for recovering perfectionists, is officially open to new members again as of today! If you’d like to find out more about it or join us, visit samlaurabrown.com/membership. In This Episode You’ll Learn: How to stop creating fires for your future self to put out Why your commitments with yourself must be non-negotiable What to do when you feel overwhelmed The real reason you can’t say no and put too much on your plate Why you need to stop multitasking to be more productive Why making strong decisions is essential for time management The importance of creating habits that will keep you organised  Featured In The Episode: Our membership community, Perfectionists Getting Shit Done - Sign up today!

Every month, I record a personal growth update to help you get a feel for what personal development is *really* like when you’re on the journey (hint: it’s not rainbows and daisies when you’re doing the real work). October was not-so-glamorous and in this episode I’m sharing why! Tune in to hear how I feel about full-time entrepreneurship now that I’m 3 months in, exactly how (and how much) I pay myself, what I’m reading, what I’m doing to grow our business and more! In This Episode You’ll Learn: How I feel about full-time entrepreneurship now I’ve been doing it for 3 months Exactly how I pay myself, how much I pay myself and why Why I’m growing our team and who I’ve hired What I’ve been working on behind the scenes The books I’ve been reading this month Why I highly recommend Linchpin by Seth Godin The importance of play and why you shouldn’t take yourself so seriously Featured In The Episode: Perfectionists Getting Shit Done - Join the waitlist here Episode 104: My Money Mindset Routine + How I Manage My Finances Episode 125: How I Transitioned From Full-Time Work To Full-Time Entrepreneurship Episode 150: What To Do When You Feel Unproductive James Wedmore’s Podcast - Mind Your Business Brooke Castillo’s Podcast - The Life Coach School Linchpin by Seth Godin What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty Systems Rock

If you’ve been feeling unproductive, this episode is for you! Perfectionists hate feeling unproductive - but ironically, it’s our hatred for stagnation that perpetuates it! In this episode, I’m sharing my very best tips on what to do when you feel unproductive. I hope you find it helpful. In This Episode You’ll Learn: The real reason you feel unproductive Why it’s important to distinguish busywork from needle-moving tasks A practical journaling exercise to help you become more productive The reason I force myself to take day’s off Why working less will make you more productive Why being productive doesn’t feel inspiring or motivating What my most productive days look like Featured In The Episode: Perfectionists Getting Shit Done - Join the waitlist here Episode 75 - How To Stop Working For Work’s Sake Episode 101 - How To Rest Without Feeling Guilty Episode 131 - How To Eliminate All-Or-Nothing Thinking

Have you ever felt like you don’t deserve the success you’ve achieved or been scared others will find out that you’re not as talented, smart or artistic as they think? If so, there’s a good chance you’re experiencing imposter syndrome. Left unchecked, imposter syndrome will make you play small, downgrade your dreams and stop you from achieving your goals. So in this episode, I’m sharing what I personally do when I experience imposter syndrome and how you can overcome it. In This Episode You’ll Learn: What imposter syndrome is and what it feels like The reason that you experience imposter syndrome Why imposter syndrome will make you sabotage your success Whether you should pursue further education to help you feel more confident Why I experience imposter syndrome whenever my business is growing The real reason you’re scared that people will call you a fraud Featured In The Episode: Perfectionists Getting Shit Done - Join the waitlist here Episode 94: Overcoming The Curse of Knowledge