Embrace Imperfection: A Guide to Self-Acceptance and Self-Love

J. Gradin: A self-help book that focuses on "what to do better," rather than "what's wrong with you." I like to read the book in bit sized chunks: let the new concepts sink in, and give myself time to practice some of the advice. It's a relaxed writing style that's easy to read. Almost like a psychology-for-dummies.

United States on Sep 23, 2023

Alexander Murcia Calderón: I'm not a native speaker and I found this book a bit difficult to read as the author uses a wide range of unusual vocabulary. Not bad, but I had to stop several times and then read the book again.
A bit repetitive, but, please note, I am a perfectionist so, probably is that perfectionist mind that makes me be a bit sharp with my review. I won't say is a must read book as I haven't try others, but it definitely helps, In other words, you won't lose the time or the money, it will definitely help you.

United States on Sep 14, 2023

Olivia Mitchell: The strength of this author is he is not a scientist, but he loves including science in his books. So he discussed and interprets the science in a way that makes sense for the average reader. I particularly liked the discussion about the differences between perfectionism and striving for excellence. This is such an important distinction to be able to make.
The book introduces many different strategies and tips (helpfully summarized in the last chapter). There were some I hadn't come across before (and I read a TON of self-help books). I will be using many of these.

United States on Jun 14, 2023

Kamila: I have read a couple of books on perfectionism but this one definitely brought me the most value.

I was fully aware of my perfectionistic tendencies but this book made me realise how big impact on various areas of life this trait has.

It has helped me with my family relations, romantic relationship and much more.

I would highly recommend anyone who calls themselves a perfectionist to read this book.

United Kingdom on Feb 12, 2023

Steve Lint: This book has changed my life and for those who say this book is garbage, it sounds like you're in a really bad place so please seek help if you have real issues. I am a therapist afterall and this book has turned me into the person I always wanted to be and definitely improved my work. I have struggled with perfectionism my entire life and It's caused a great deal of anxiety and depression over my life that burned me out over and over. This book allowed me to shed my past and accept myself for who I am and now I'm free. If you are open enough to want change, this book will be exactly what you are looking for. If you're apprehensive, the opposite is also true. This book paired with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Mindfulness can be very useful if you do have a real mental health issue, please talk to someone. Going to therapy is not shameful, it's a sign if intelligence. Nothing stays buried for long so embrace your feelings and don't believe everything you think.

I'd also like to talk to the author about some ideas I've been thinking about

Canada on Nov 24, 2021

Amazon Customer: If I had a £ for every time this man mentions his previous book in this book, I'd have enough money to refund me this book, buy the book he is clearly more proud of, and then refund that one as well.

The advice in this book isn't bad, but there are a lot of stories and examples to reiterate points which simply don't need reiterating for the fifth time, and the useful material i.e. the domino effects of perfectionism and some small behaviour changes to combat them, could have been explained and conveyed in a book of about 30 pages rather than this 200+.

There is a lot of stereotyping which is a bit cringey to read in 2021, some fairly toxic ideas about gender roles, body types and health and wellness. Referring to championship adult athletes as 'girls'... just ew. Come on.

Overall, not the worst book I've read, but could do a lot better to respect my time. Don't buy this book if you want concrete advice on a topic you've lived with, contemplated, and fought with for your whole life though. If you want an easy read and you've only just discovered you're a perfectionist, there's probably some useful information here for you.

United Kingdom on Apr 12, 2021

Jekabs Dreska: What I loved about this book, that there were moments of build up, that made me want to stop reading the book and actually change my habits immediately. I did this several times during the book.

I have read numerous self-help books in the past 5 years and this one was the most useful for me personally. I read it cover to cover in a few days ( I would probably do it in one day, but thay wouldnt be very practical )

If you know that you are, or have identified perfectionistic tendencies in yourself and you want to make your life easier this is the book for you. I highly reccomend it to every perfectionist who would like to live a happier and more productive life.

France on Feb 06, 2021

Rahul B.: Awesome book! Very helpful and insightful. A very detailed analysis of perfectionism and actionable advice(small and very easy to achieve solutions aka mini habits). The author also has a great sense of humour. Being a perfectionist all my life, I wish I had come across this book sooner. This book is helping me so much, I can't even describe. I have become more confident, productive and am able to take decisions much faster. I used to get paralysed with decision making and used to procrastinate a lot, which was affecting my life in every way. Don't get me wrong, I could get some work done, but fear and insecurity were holding back my true potential. Now I am removing perfectionism from my life day by day, through the practice of imperfectionism. I have started to see improvement in every area of my life - my studies, my social life, productivity and taking action and decisions in general. Perfection is nothing but a leash holding you back to live fully in an imperfect world. Nothing in this world is perfect, not the IPhone X, not even mother nature, but that's what beauty is all about, finding positivity/greatness in imperfection. Perfection creates doubt in your ability to do...

India on Nov 20, 2017

Scott B. Allan: There are only a handful of books that I have read I would consider real life-changers. "How to Be a Perfect Imperfectionist" by Author Stephen Guise is one of those books. From Mini-Habits to Imperfectionism, Stephen has given readers and students the ultimate book on dealing with Perfectionism. Sure, there are many books out there on the subject. This book is the best one I have read to date, and the author has done his research and went deep with the content to bring a piece of work to the table that doesn't have all the psychological jargon.

The book is easy to follow through and reference to because the first nine chapters discusses the subject in detail so that readers can gain a solid understanding of the "Perfectionist" personality, habits, and character. Once this has been covered the final chapter covers actionable steps for easy application that makes it easy to reference.

The book Imperfectionism promises three things [if you check the subtitles]: 1. A new way to self-acceptance; 2. Fearless living; 3. Freedom from perfectionism. After reading through this book and applying the action steps, you will agree that the book lives up to its promise.

The...

United States on Jul 10, 2015

Ella: I really only bought this book because I liked Guise's Minihabits book so much. I didn't really consider myself a perfectionist, but I discovered I could use a lot more information from this book than I expected. I also was concerned this book would have too much overlapping content from Guise's Minihabits book and blog posts, but it had a lot that I hadn't seen before.
PROS: First, the structure of this book is really clear and usable. I loved that Guise didn't waste our time with a lot of "here's how to know if you're a perfectionist" drivel and instead focused on understanding perfectionism, its causes, and its solutions. In particular, I found Guise's review of the academic literature on perfectionism to be both conscientious and valuable. It does seem true that when academics are talking about perfectionism being good, they are focusing on the aspects that aren't really a focus on perfection (like "seeking excellence" or "being organized"). Guise also does a great job simplifying the categories that the academics used and adding ones of his own when needed. Next, Guise does a great job explaining how perfectionism has to be perceived as something bad if any real progress...

United States on Jun 08, 2015