The hardest part about perfectionism isn’t the standard itself but the pressure that comes with it. When it all feels like a test you might fail, it’s just easier not to start at all. Over time, that pressure builds into shame: “I should be able to handle this,” “I should have fixed this by now.” What I’ve learned? Perfectionism doesn’t protect us from failure, it keeps us in it.

I’ve learned that letting go isn’t about being ready. Most of the time, we’re not. We just reach a point where the weight of holding on feels heavier than the thought of letting go.

Shame creeps in when we start connecting our surroundings to our worth. A messy kitchen becomes "I'm failing at being a mom." But clutter is just stuff in the wrong place, or too much stuff for the space it's in.