Reboot Podcast Episode #62 – Letting Go of Perfection – with Sharon Salzberg

Memorable Quotes:

“I have a client that lives in the rarefied Silicon Valley world where …being a billionaire is a yard-stick for self-worth.” – Jerry Colonna

“What’s the story you’re telling yourself about yourself?” – Jerry Colonna

“What is the story we tell ourselves? Because we take responsibility in places we can never be in control.” – Sharon Salzberg

“In certain circles, we’re taught not to look at the broader scope of life. It’s too destructive to the image we’re upholding.” – Sharon Salzberg

“It’s this funny perfectionism, where we’re measuring ourselves against an absolutely unattainable goal and then lacerating ourselves when we fail to live up to that goal.” – Jerry Colonna

“It seems to me that the answer, the antidote, is love – which may, in fact, be counterintuitive.” – Jerry Colonna

“How do we hold the pursuit of the unattainable goal without self-criticism, self-laceration, and the negative side of that?” – Jerry Colonna

“We live in a world of metrics, measurement, and comparison. But, really, what do we need?” – Sharon Salzberg

“Perfectionism is an unproductive use of attention. Self-hatred will not make us better.” – Sharon Salzberg

“Acceptance is what allows us to realize that all experiences are opportunities to learn and grow.” – Sharon Salzberg

“Through love and kindness for ourselves, we can learn to accept and love our imperfect selves.” – Sharon Salzberg

“We need resilience. We need to always be tacking and adjusting and starting over.” – Sharon Salzberg

“I think that’s what resiliency is made of. It’s that kind of flexibility and that ability to start over.” – Sharon Salzberg

“Begin again. It’s the rhythm of life. That’s how we actually live every day and that’s how we get something done.” – Sharon Salzberg

“What I learned was that the world has an infinite capacity for do-overs if you let go of this notion that it has to be a certain way.” – Jerry Colonna

“We can be even stronger, I think, by coming from a place of compassion rather than alienation and disconnection.” – Sharon Salzberg